My Bittersweet Orange
by JKSketchy
Summary: Akari, an accident prone farmer, meets Chase, a sarcastic chef. And they hate each other. But could all of that change simply by being forced to work together? ChaseXAkari Rated T for no real reason...
1. Chapter 1: First Impressions

**~ Hello Readers! **

**This is my very first story on this website ^^ Anyway, please review! I'll have new chapters soon!**

_My Bittersweet Orange_

_- - -_

I looked over the side of the boat and gazed at the sea. Drops of salt water splashed against my face. The wind blew against my skin and my hair, sending it back beyond my head. I was heading to a new life full of hope and adventure.

I sighed; who was I kidding.

I'm just going to some teeny-tiny island in the middle of nowhere! I'm gonna start up a farm! Who's idea was this again? Cause I don't think it was mine!

"Don't lean so far over the side. You'll fall in."

I groaned. I looked over my shoulder to see a peach-haired boy in a lawn chair leaning against the back of the door to the lower deck. His feet were up on a table in front of him. His eyes were half open and he looked at me without interest. He had a smug look on his face.

I glared at him. "Well, at least _you_ learned from _your _experiences."

He huffed and went back to staring into space.

"Don't mind him," a brunette girl next to me said. She was in the same position as me: arms folded, head resting on top looking off over the ocean. "He asks like that to everyone on the island," she continued to whisper so he wouldn't hear.

"So you've been to the island before?" I whispered back.

"We live there," the boy half shouted from behind us. He had really good hearing! "It's just a dried-up hunk of land, nothing special."

"Well Chase, if you hate it so much, why are you even coming back.?" the girl beside me retorted, annoyed.

The peach-haired boy sighed with frustration and closed his eyes. A crease formed between his knitted eyebrows, "I have my reasons."

The girl glowered at him, but her expression lightened as she turned back to me, "I'm Anissa. I work on Souffle Farm with my parents. We grow all kinds of crops, but the soil hasn't been very good lately…" her eyes drifted to the deck, "I left to go look for some way to make the soil on the island more fertile but…"

"Face it Anissa! Waffle Island will never have rich soil like it used to, so just get used to it," Chase wasn't facing us, his head was turned away. His eyes were shut tighter and his brow creased even more. Anissa looked depressed.

"You talk an awful lot for someone who's not even part of our conversation," I said, annoyed. He ignored me.

"So why isn't the land fertile anymore?" I asked Anissa.

"It's cause the Harvest Goddess _left_ us!" Chase answered sarcastically.

"Is your name Anissa?" I yelled back rhetorically.

Anissa sighed, "He's right though… when her tree died the rich soil was sucked dry."

Chase mumbled something under his breath, "The Harvest Goddess isn't real! Everyone knows that!" He squinted off at the ocean. He looked very annoyed.

"How can you say that?" Anissa asked in despair.

"How can you not!?" Chase snapped back. "The island's gonna whither up and die one day!"

"Who's the Harvest Goddess?" I asked a little confused.

"She's the Goddess that keeps the island healthy. She's in all the legends of Waffle Island. She's said to be a beautiful Goddess with little harvest sprites that help her run the island," Anissa answered. "She had a magical tree planted in the center of the island. The roots reached all the way to the farthest beaches, but after many years, the tree began to wither. After it did, the soil turned bad and so did the weather."

"SHE'S JUST A FAIRY TALE!!" Chase yelled

"What makes you so sure!?" I half-yelled back at him.

He turned and looked at me with a surprised and angry expression on his face. His face was a little red, probably from yelling so much. He still looked annoyed and completely ignored my question, "Why are you going the island anyway? What could you possibly want here?"

"I'm gonna start my own farm!" I answered rather cheerfully.

He tried to suppress a laugh. And failed. "Well good luck with that!"

Anissa and I both glared at him. "I see what you mean," I said.

"About what?" Anissa asked.

"The way he acts."

Anissa giggled. Chase pretended not to hear us. Then all of a sudden the door leading to the lower deck opened. Chase's chair tipped forward as the door pushed the back of his chair upright. Pascal came out from the lower deck.

"We'll be arriving in Harmonica Town shortly!" he announced.

"Really?" Anissa asked, overjoyed.

"It's about time!" Chase barked.

I sighed. 'Wonder if all the villagers are like this' I thought to myself.

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask," Anissa began.

I woke from my daydreaming and turned to look at her, "Hm?"

"What's you're name?"

"Me? It's Akari."

- - -

**Thanks for reading! ^^**


	2. Chapter 2: Spending the Night

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Yay! My first story got a review! *faints* Thanks for my very first review QueenoftheCatz! ^^ Anyway, I had this chapter done early, so I figured I'd post it. I was gonna wait, but... **

**Please Review!!!**

**Oh also, I don't own Harvest Moon (just putting that out there)**

_My Bittersweet Orange_

- - -

The ship reached the dock and Pascal lowered the crossing bridge. Chase got off first, his backpack slung over his shoulder, as he strode off somewhere in a hurry. Anissa and I walked off the boat together behind him. Naturally, as it is me we're talking about, I tripped walking down the boarding plank and fell on Chase's legs, which caused him to fall with me.

"Watch where you're going!!" He yelled.

"Akari!" Anissa rushed over to us.

Chase moaned and struggled to rise with me still recovering on top of his legs. "Would you mind giving me back my legs?" he asked, exasperated.

I was still a little dizzy. It was starting to fade a little and I realized I was laying on him. I quickly got up, too quickly. I stumbled a little and Anissa had to hold me steady.

"Jeez! Can't you do anything!?" Chase insulted, exasperated, as he brushed himself off.

"At least _I _can be polite," I retorted.

"Really? You don't seem very good at it," Chase said and rolled his eyes before he continued on his way, wherever he was going. I scowled at his back as he left.

"OH! You must be the new rancher!" a voice bellowed. Anissa and I looked around curiously until we spotted a short, chubby man in a blue suit and gray hair running (more like waddling) towards us. "Welcome to Waffle Island!" He yelled with his arms outstretched as he continued to waddle.

"That's the mayor," Anissa whispered in my ear.

I looked down at him as he approached, "This is great! It's so uncommon for us to get any new ranchers!"

"So I've heard," I mumbled under my breath, thinking back to the argument Anissa and I had with Chase on the boat.

"I'm sorry, um… what's your name again?" the mayor asked.

"Akari?" I answered like a question.

"That's a very nice name! I'm Mayor Hamilton! But I'm sorry to tell you that your house isn't quite ready yet. Would it be all right if you stayed in the Sundae Inn for a few days?" he asked me.

"Um, Mayor," Anissa mentioned. "Isn't the Sundae Inn is closed on Sundays?"

The _Sundae_ Inn is _closed_ on _Sundays_ Wow, that's a new one.

"Oh my, it's Sunday already? Well that won't do! Let's see… where can you stay until tomorrow…?" He asked and put him hand on his chin.

"Well, she could always stay with me 'till the inn opens," Anissa suggested.

I felt completely left out of this conversation about where I was to live. I sighed. So I don't know any of the shops in town, except the _Sundae_ Inn isn't even _open _on _Sundays_, and I barely know anyone other than Anissa, Chase (not that knowing him is helpful), and the Mayor, who is appearing to be just as helpful as Chase.

I'm grateful to Anissa though. She seems really nice and she's offered to take me in for the night.

"That's a great idea!" the mayor agreed excitedly. "I'll stop by tomorrow and take you to the inn when it's open."

Okay, let's some this up: I rode a boat to _Waffle_ Island, meet Mayor _Ham_ilton in _Waffle_ Town (why do the town and the island have the same name?), I'm going to spend the night at _Souffle_ Farm, and then Mayor _Ham_ilton is going to come take me to the _Sundae_ Inn that isn't open on _Sundays. _Who came up with these names!?

"Akari?"

"Uh?" my thought bubble just popped and I turned to look at Anissa. Well, at least everything is settled. I hadn't even noticed that the mayor had left and we were heading to Anissa's house. "Thanks for inviting me over for the night," I said.

She smiled, "No problem. Dad will probably make us work in the fields a little though…"

"That's fine," I insisted. "I came here to become a farmer and I could use some practice before I get my own ranch. We both smiled.

"So why are all the stores on this Island named after food?" I asked her. I'm sorry if I sounded rude, but I had to know!

She sighed, "The mayor named all the shops and buildings awhile ago. To tell you the truth, it does get annoying when people ask where you're from and you have to answer, 'I'm from Waffle Town on Waffle Island.' Everyone on the island who's ever left, like me and Chase, know what that's like. I think that's part of the reason why he hates coming back."

"Really? Just because of the name?" I mean sure, I thought it was goofy, but it's just a name.

She shrugged. "The good news it Mayor Hamilton said something about renaming the island. I think they're having a contest for new names at the next festival."

"That sounds interesting. Would you like to enter together? I'm sure the two of us could come up with some great new names for the island," I encouraged.

She nodded, "Well, I don't think they could get much worse anyhow."

We laughed.

"Hey! Anissa!" Someone called from behind us. We both turned to see a blue haired boy with a bandana over his head. He was carrying an axe in one hand and waving at us with the other.

"Hi Luke!" Anissa called back. Luke started to slow down once he had almost caught up to us.

"Welcome back!" he said cheerfully. "Who's your friend? I don't think I've seen her before."

"I'm Akari, I'm gonna be starting a ranch soon," I answered before Anissa could. I didn't want to be a bystander again, like I was in Anissa and Mayor Hamilton's conversation about me.

"Cool! I'm Luke! Good luck with the ranch, let me know if I can help in any way," he offered with a huge grin. He was nice. He glanced down at his watch.

"Oh shoot, I gotta go!" he said and turned back the way he came, "See ya around Akari! Bye Anissa!"

"Bye Luke! Thanks for your offer!" I yelled after him.

"Goodbye Luke!" Anissa called. He waved over his shoulder without looking back and ran off.

"He seems nice," I commented to Anissa, "Is he your neighbor?"

"You could say that," she said, "But he won't be for long."

"Why?" I asked, confused, "Is he moving?"

"Probably not, but I think we are. Mayor Hamilton is going to remodel the town once the new names are picked, and he already told us our farm would be moved."

"Oh, do you know where yet?"

"No, not yet. It's a surprise I guess. Luke might know though. He's a carpenter after all. He's probably going to be helping the mayor with a lot of the moves."

We walked a bit farther, and after a few minutes Anissa announced, "We're here Akari!"

I looked up to see an average sized, country-styled building. I guess I could see Anissa growing up here; it suited her.

"Anissa!" Someone called. I turned towards the sound as Anissa did and saw a huge field of vegetables. It was gigantic! Everywhere: vegetables, vegetables, maybe some flowers, and more vegetables! An older man came up from the fields to greet us.

"Hello Dad!" Anissa called back and ran up to give him a hug.

"You've been gone for so long. I though I was going to break my back doing your choirs. Did you find out anything?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Sorry Dad, I couldn't find anything to help the land…"

He sighed, "Oh well, who's this you have with you?" he asked gesturing at me.

Anissa let go of her father and motioned for me to come over. As I walked over I introduced myself, again before Anissa could for me. "I'm Akari. Nice to meet you," I said as politely as I could.

"I'm Craig, Anissa's father," he replied.

Anissa cut the introductions short, "I ran into Akari on the boat back home. She's going to start a ranch soon, but her house isn't ready yet. Would it be alright if she spent the night here?"

"I thought the mayor was going to have the new ranchers stay at the inn their first night," he said, confused.

"The Sundae Inn isn't open today," Anissa corrected.

Craig sighed. "Why did they name the inn Sundae Inn if they're not open on Sunday?"

I giggled. I knew I'd like Anissa's father.

"So can she stay?" Anissa continued.

"Sure, fine by me. I would have her work, but it's getting late," he said looking up at the sky.

"Well, it'll take me a while to get my farm together and I could use a part-time job until then. Could I maybe work here after I get my house?" I asked. I'd need to save up some money for seeds and a barn.

"Sounds good," Craig agreed.

I yawned. I hadn't realized how late it was before Craig mentioned it.

"Come on in Akari," Anissa offered. "I'll take you up to your room."

- - -

**Thanks for reading! ^^ Reviews are GREATLY appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3: Perfect Strawberry

**~ Hello Readers!**

**YAY!!! I got added to someone's favorites! ^^ Thanks for reviewing CherriEclipse and QueenoftheCatz ! I decided to put another chapter on tonight. I was gonna wait but, well... I HAVE NO PATIENTS!!! ^^ ****I'm sorry, I know Chase hasn't been in the story very much, but he's in this chapter! Hope you guys like it!**

- - -

"Akari!? Could you come down for a minute?" Anissa called.

I stretched and rubbed my eyes as I got out of bed. I didn't bother to change my clothes cause I was already dressed and I had no other clothes to change into. I walked downstairs to see Anissa holding a letter which she handed to me.

"It's from Mayor Hamilton," she said.

I opened the letter,

Dear Akari,

I'm sorry, but the inn isn't going to be open today because the boat hasn't

arrived at the harbor and they are short on stock. You're house

should be done by tomorrow and you can just move in then, but until

tomorrow you will have to stay at a friend's house.

~ Sincerely,

Mayor Hamilton

I sighed. "Anissa," she had been reading over my shoulder, "Is it alright if I stay another night? I can help work in the fields."

"Of course it's alright," she replied. "I'll go get my dad and he can get you started on your chores," she said before running off.

I looked back down at the letter. I was really tempted to just crumple it up and throw it away, but I changed my mind and folded it up to put in my pocket.

Anissa came back with her father. He looked like he hadn't gotten enough sleep.

"So," Craig began, "you wanted to work on the farm today?"

I nodded.

"Well in that case, you'll need one of these," he said as he handed me a watering can. I grabbed it from him and nearly dropped it on my foot. What was this thing made of?

"You can go pull weeds, water plants, and pick strawberries. Don't pick them if they aren't ripe!" he instructed.

"O-okay," I replied, struggling not to drop the iron block shaped like a watering can.

I was just about to leave when, "Akari!" Anissa called me.

I turned around. "I almost forgot to give you this," she said, handing me a hand-weaved basket. "It'll be helpful when collecting strawberries since you don't have a rucksack yet.

I smiled, "Thanks!" and I set the watering can down on the floor before grabbing the basket. I knew I'd drop the can if I tried to hold it with one hand. I put my arm through the handle on the basket and grabbed the watering can before heading out to the fields. I almost tripped going down the steps, did he already put water in the can?

It was a relief to set everything down once I reached the strawberry patch. I decided to start with the weeding. I grabbed one and yanked as hard as I could.

And it didn't move an inch.

I struggled to pull the weed and eventually I managed to get it out of the ground, but I fell on my butt in the process. Not the most graceful way to clean the fields, but okay.

I continued to weed the fields in the same fashion for awhile until the field was clear of unwanted plants. That was exhausting. And I was only one-third of the way done. I sighed and went over to get the watering can. Now that I was outside I didn't bother to try and carry it; I just dragged in along the ground. Hopefully I'll get used to lugging this thing around. Otherwise running a farm will be harder than I thought.

I lugged the can over to the well and filled it up. The water didn't make much difference since the can was already too heavy. I began watering the strawberry plants one by one in each row. Why did Anissa's farm have to grow so many strawberries? Oh well, I do owe them for letting me spend two nights at their store and I feel better now that I'm helping them out while I'm staying with them. Before I knew it, I was done watering the fields. Maybe I would get used to this.

I went over to get my basket for collecting strawberries as I saw a peach-colored blob rising from the distance. I squinted to try and make out what it was. As it approached, my eyes widened. What was Chase doing here!?

He strolled up towards the fields and was just about to pass by when he noticed me in the strawberry patch. "Akari, I know you came to the island to start a farm, but you can't just come and take someone else's."

I glared at him, "I'm working for Anissa's family for today." I said.

He groaned, "Great, I came here to buy some high-quality vegetables and they're going to be covered in bruises by the time you're done with them."

"Just cause I'm harvesting them doesn't mean they'll be covered in bruises!" I retorted. "What's with you anyway? All you've done is insult me since I met you!"

Chase turned his head towards the shop and closed his eyes smiling, "You're just so easy to pick fun at Akari," and he headed off into the store.

I could practically feel the smoke coming out of my ears. Why was he so mean!?

I tried to calm down before I began harvesting again. I picked a few more strawberries and began carrying the basket full of fruit over to the shipping box when my foot got caught on a weed I'd missed and I tripped and fell on the ground.

Naturally, Chase was just coming out of the store and saw me trip.

He smiled.

"DON'T EVEN SAY IT!!!" I warned.

He giggled and started on his way, "I won't be buying any strawberries from Soufflé Farm for a while."

I scowled at him, "Hey! Just cause I tripped doesn't mean the strawberries aren't any good!"

He stopped, "Aren't they bruised?"

I got up and examined them. "Nope! They're all fine," I said triumphantly.

"No way," he doubted. He came over to the fence near where Akari had fallen and looked over the fruit for himself. Sure enough, they were all perfectly fine. They even sparkled like shiny fruit. He looked amazed… and then he glared at me, "You just got lucky."

I smiled, "So, since they're all perfect, are you gonna buy some?"

He glowered at me and turned away with a disappointed look, "I suppose I will."

I grinned and walked with him over to the shop. I delivered the strawberries to Anissa and she sold them to Chase. He looked very annoyed, but he left with the perfect strawberries he wanted. I waited until he was out the door before I talked to Anissa.

"Anissa? Would it be alright if I went to bed? I'm beat after doing all that gardening."

"Of course," she replied, "You did really well for your first time. Don't you want to go get your watering can? It's yours to keep."

I smiled and sighed at the same time. On the one hand, I got a watering can. On the other, I wasn't even sure I'd be able to pick it up at this point.

- - -

**Thanks for reading! And once again, I don't own Harvest Moon**


	4. Chapter 4: The Sundae Inn

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Thanks again for reviewing guys! ^^ I love reading them. Hope you like this chapter!**

**And I still don't own Harvest Moon.**

- - -

"Akari! Door for you!" Anissa yelled from down the stairs.

I got up groggily. I was still tired. I glanced over at the clock …it was 6 in the morning…

IT WAS SIX IN THE MORNING!!! Who would come for me at six in the morning!? What's wrong with this island!?

I got up and brushed my hair. I didn't change my clothes cause I still had nothing else to wear. I ran downstairs and went to the door to see Anissa looking just as tired as I did (so I wasn't the only one) and a very much awake, very plump mayor waiting on the doorstep.

"Yes?" I asked, my eyes only half open.

"Now that the inn is open, would you like me to take you there?" he offered.

I raised one eyebrow. I wasn't awake enough to look more surprised or confused. "Isn't my house supposed to be ready today?"

"Well… yes, but it's not. It's going to take a few more days."

It's a good thing for the mayor I was still too tired to yell at him. Maybe that's why he came so early.

"I thought you'd like to get settled in at the inn. You'll be staying there a while," he added.

I sighed. It was too early to be furious, so I just blindly followed him away from Anissa's house.

"Goodbye Akari," Anissa waved tiredly.

"Bye," I tried to wave too, but I think I only lifted my arm up half way. Way too tired.

I think Mayor Hamilton was having a conversation with me on the way to the inn; the only thing was I wasn't paying attention, nor did I ever say anything. His voice sounded like assorted, indecipherable mumbles, so I ignored him as I followed. Eventually we arrived at the inn and Mayor Hamilton went to open the door for me.

It was locked.

"Hm," he mumbled, "That's strange." He went over to the sign with the hours posted on it. "Oh, they open at 9."

You've gotta be kidding me. What kinda mayor doesn't know when the few stores in his town open?

"Well, I guess you can go around town and meet the villagers for a few hours before the Sundae Inn opens."

He wasn't kidding. I sighed.

"Have a good day Akari!" he said cheerfully before leaving.

I groaned. What should I do? What time was it anyway? I looked around until I heard a church bell. I listened closely. …7… 8… 9.

Wow, the mayor sure wasn't too bright.

I tried the door again, this time it opened. I walked in and went up to the counter. Colleen greeted me. She was very nice and hospitable.

"Oh dear, you look exhausted! You're the new rancher, right? Your room is upstairs, down the hall. Would you like to rest?"

I tried to look up at her, "No thank you," I said. "I'm not very good at going back to sleep. Could I have some work to do? I'd like to repay you for letting me stay here a few days, but I don't have any money."

"If you're sure you'd rather work than rest. Go ask Maya what you can do to help her. She should be in the kitchen."

I nodded and walked in the general direction of the kitchen, stumbling a few times. When I reached the sink, I splashed some cold water on my face. That felt a lot better. I could actually function now.

I looked up to find a girl with orange braids and a bright pink dress rifling through a cookbook.

"Maya?" I asked.

"Hm?" she replied looking up at me.

"I'm Akari, Colleen told me to come find you. I wanted to start working here and she said you might need help with something."

"Oh," her face lit up. "This it great! Nice to meet you Akari! Would you mind getting some ingredients out for me? I wanted to make an Apple Pie."

"Uh, sure. What do you need?" I asked, thinking about what is needed for a pie.

"I need an egg, an apple, and a pie crust. There're probably eggs and apples in the fridge, maybe a pie crust, otherwise it would be in the cabinet."

I searched for what she asked and gave her the ingredients as I found them. Everything was very organized and easy to find.

"So should we start?" I asked.

She looked a little sad, "Well, Yolanda wanted to teach me how to make an amazing apple pie, but I don't know where she went. Do you think you could go look for her in town?"

"Sure, what does she look like?"

"She's a little shorter than me and has pink hair," Maya answered

"Okay," I said as I made my way towards the door. "I'll be back soon!"

"Thanks Akari!" Maya called as I left.

I started walking around town, looking in a few stores, but not finding any trace of Yolanda. Actually, when I went by the Tailors, I mistook Luna for Yolanda. Boy was she confused. She was nice though and understood why I was confused. The description Maya gave me was very similar to Luna. She told me a little more about Yolanda, like how she wears a red bandana around her neck and she's much older than her. After saying goodbye to Luna I continued my search.

After spending some time looking for Yolanda, I started feeling fatigued from getting up so early. I felt lightheaded and my legs ached. I sneezed. How did I catch a cold? I thought back; maybe I should've worn a jacket on the ship (not that I had a jacket to wear.) I continued my search, but the conditions worsened. After awhile my speed slowed. I felt completely drained of energy.

And I fainted.

- - -

**Okay, I'm gonna make you guys a deal. If you want to read the next chapter today then I'm gonna need 10 reviews by tonight. I'll post the chapter eventually, but I'll make sure it's up today if I have 10 reviews. Sorry to those of you who have been reviewing.**


	5. Chapter 5: Knocked Out

**~ Hello Readers!**

**I hope you guys like this one. It's kinda short, but Chase is in it. Sorry he hasn't been in the story much. I promise that will change very soon. ^^ Oh, and the next chapter is _extremely_ long compared to this.**

- - -

My head was spinning; it hurt so much. Major migraine. I groaned and rubbed my head. It didn't help. I opened my eyes. I was in a pail-colored room. Everything was light blue, light green, and white. I looked down and saw some bed sheets over me. They weren't very comfortable. Where was I?

"So, you're finally awake are you?" someone asked mockingly.

I recognized the voice, "Chase!?" I turned and looked to my right to see a certain peach-haired jerk sitting in a chair next to my bed. He seemed a little pale, but otherwise perfectly fine. He was smiling smugly.

"What!? I-You? …Huh?" I asked incoherently.

Chase laughed, "You really can't do anything, can you?"

I glared at him, "Where am I? What am I doing here? What are _you _doing here?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I found you passed out on the ground near the inn. I carried you here and Jin fixed you up."

Ew! Ew! Ew! That jerk _carried_ me here!?

"Where's 'here'? And who's Jin?" I continued to ask, trying to hide my revulsion.

" 'Here' is the Clinic and Jin is the doctor," he rolled his eyes again. "How could you pass out on your first day on the island? Do you even have a farm yet?"

I was fuming! I scowled at him, "No, I don't have a farm yet," I didn't really want to say I was homeless, "I was running errands for Maya."

His eyebrows knitted together and he looked confused. "Maya? How do you know her?"

"I went to the inn to apply for a job," I answered.

His eyes widened, but he still looked angry, "_You're_ going to be working at Sundae Inn!?"

I didn't understand why he seemed mad, "The one that's _closed_ on Sundays, yeah."

He got up from his seat and glared at me, "No way!"

I sat up. I was so confused, "What's your deal?" He was already storming off through the open doorway. I followed, but my head still hurt. I got up as fast as I could and tried to ignore the dizziness. I saw a young man with glasses and black hair tied back in a ponytail sitting by the door. He got up and tried to stop me from leaving, "Wait! You shouldn't be walking around yet!"

Chase didn't slow down and I wasn't about to lose him. "Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry about it. Thanks Doc!" I said as I hurried out the door.

I followed him outside. It was dark now and I could see the stars. How long was I out?

"Where are you going? Why are you so mad!?" I yelled as I followed. I had to half-jog to keep up with his pace.

He headed to the inn and kicked the door open. He bounded over to Colleen, his face was red. "Colleen, I'm not doing this!"

She looked up at him, startled, "What?"

"There's no way I'm working with her!" he said pointing at me, still standing in the open doorway.

Oh. So that was why he was mad.

- - -

**Thanks for reading! And please review! Let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6: Confrentations

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Okay, this one is much longer than the last one. Hope you like it! ^^**

- - -

"_You_ work _here_!?" I couldn't believe it! There was no way I was going to work with that jerk!

"Yes, I do!" Chase turned to sneer at me. "Colleen!"

"Hold on a minute Chase," a voice called from up the stairs.

Chase turned to the staircase to see a man with gray hair and a suit coming down the steps.

"I'm not doing it Jake!" he insisted.

The man looked at Chase, then at me, then back to Chase.

"Why not?"

"Jake, she tripped over her own feet yesterday! And the day before that! She'll probably end up dump all my food on the floor!"

"I didn't dumb the strawberries!" I yelled at him.

Chase turned around to glare at me and opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but Jake beat him to it, "Now, now you two-"

"Jake!" Chase continued to argue, "You're not serious!"

"I most certainly am," the man replied sternly. "Akari is going to work here as long as she needs.

Chase turned around and we glowered at each other. After a while he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes tightly. "Fine!" he said and stormed off towards the kitchen.

I folded my arms over my chest and looked down at my feet. Why did he hate me so much?

"Akari?" Colleen called.

I looked up at her, "Hm?"

"Did you still want to work here?"

I thought about it for a minute. I had no house and no money. I could go back to Anissa's I guess, but I don't really want to impose on them anymore. People are actually _meant_ to stay at the inn, not the seed store.

I sighed and dropped my arms, "Yes, I do." Then I realized I had just repeated exactly what Chase had said a minute ago about working here. I sighed.

She nodded, "Okay, you should be ready to work at 8:30 so we can get everything set up before we open."

I nodded.

"And we stay open until 5 and the bar opens at 6 and stays open 'till 12. If you'd like to work that shift too, you'll have to talk to Haydon."

"Thank you," I said and I went over to the kitchen. I was a little nervous once I got there, realizing that Chase was there. He looked up from his dish just to glare at me and went back to cooking.

"Well Chase," I struggled to sound somewhat polite, "Is there anything I can get you?"

He looked up at me and forced a smile, "No thank you," he said with the same forced-friendliness tone I used.

I forced a smile too, "Well, I'll just go and fine Maya then," I felt like my face was gonna break in half.

"Perhaps I was wrong, it appears you can be polite," the added sarcastically.

I giggled with an edge under my voice and left the kitchen. I leaned my back against the walk and sunk to the floor. I put my head in my hands.

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Why does he hate me? Why did he have to work here? Why did _I_ have to work here? There's a ton of shops in town, why here!?

I groaned and got up, I should go find Maya. I wonder if she ever found Yolanda. I was just about to go back in the kitchen and thin DING! Maya isn't in the kitchen! I was just there and that smart-aleck, rude, peachy-haired, sarcastic cook was the only one there. Boy, am I smart.

I sighed. I had no idea where to look for Maya if she wasn't in the kitchen, so I went over to ask Colleen. She was reading a book near the front counter.

"Colleen, have you seen Maya?"

She looked up at me and replied, "Not for a while. She might have gone upstairs."

I nodded. "Thanks," I said as I made my way upstairs. There were a ton of rooms on the top floor. I mean, sure, it was an inn, but I didn't even think there were that many people on the island. I found Maya in one of the first few rooms. She was brushing her hair while looking in the mirror on her vanity table.

"Maya?"

She spun around and put her hands over her mouth. "Akari!" she ran over and hugged me. "I was so worried when you didn't come back! What happened?"

"I… I'm not really sure," I said. "I looked for Yolanda for a while and I started getting really tired. Chase said I fainted."

"Oh Akari, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were so worn out," then she folded her arms across her chest. "How come Chase found out what happened to you before me? He wasn't even at work when you left."

"He said he found me knocked out by the inn and took me to the clinic."

"Ah, that makes sense," she said nodding.

"Is he always so…" I began, not knowing the exact word I wanted to use: annoying, rude, something along those lines.

"…Insulting?" Maya finished for me.

"…yeah."

She sighed, "He's like that to everyone. He's been like this for a while…"

I figured I should change the conversation. "So did you ever find Yolanda?" I asked.

"No," she said shaking her head. She sounded sad. "She must've gone home early today. I'll just ask her for help tomorrow."

"I'm sorry I couldn't find her for you…"

"NO! No! It's fine!" she insisted. "You must be tired. I'll show you your room."

"Thanks," I said.

I followed her down the hallway and she walked into a room next to hers. "I live at the inn, so if you need anything, feel free to ask me. I'll be right next door." She smiled and left.

I laid down on my bed and sighed. It felt much nicer than the clinic bed had. I folded my arms behind my head. Why did Chase not want me working here? He said something about me dropping his food… I mean sure, I stumble a lot, and I'm accident prone, but there weren't any weeds in the Sundae Inn for me to trip over.

I sat up in my bed, my feet dangling off the end. I just remembered Colleen said I could work at the bar too. I probably should, that way if I had any money left over at all after my house was finished I could buy some seeds from Anissa. I got up and went over to Maya's room.

"Hey Maya?" I asked, peeking in the doorway.

"Yeah?" she turned around. She was brushing her hair again. She still had to unbraid the other side. She looked kinda funny with only one pigtail.

"Um, Colleen mentioned something about me working for the bar. How do I sign up for that?"

"Oh, just go talk to Haydon. He should be here by now. He runs the bar counter with his daughter Kathy. She's really nice, you'll like her," she added.

"Thanks," I said. She nodded and turned back to her mirror. I walked down the hallway and down the stairs. I noticed a man I didn't recognize at the counter. Haydon. I walked over to him.

"Uh, hi," I said. "Are you Haydon?"

"Why yes I am," he stated kindly. "How can I help you young missy."

I smiled shyly, "Well, I wanted to know if I could work at the bar. Do you need anymore hired help?"

He smiled, "Why sure, we can always use another hand. Hey Kathy!" he called. "Let me introduce you to my daughter. She's the waitress while the bar in open."

I looked over to see a cowgirl with a blond ponytail walk out of the kitchen. "Yeah Dad?"

"This is… um, actually I'm sorry little missy, I don't think I know your name," Haydon said a little embarrassed.

"It's Akari," I said. "It's nice to meet you Kathy."

"Hey, it's nice to meet you too!" she replied cheerfully. I could see the resemblance between her dad and her. "We don't get new villagers very often. So you'll be working at the bar?"

I looked over to Haydon, "If there's a spot available…"

"Of coarse there it! Welcome aboard!" he said and gave me a hug with one arm around my shoulder. I felt very awkward.

"Don't squish her Dad!" Kathy teased and he let me go. "So have you meet the bar's cook yet?"

The bar had their own cook? I shook my head.

"Well follow me," she said, leading me to the kitchen. "He's a good friend of mine." She opened the door to reveal Chase. "Akari, this is-"

Me and Chase glared at each other. "Yeah-yeah, we already know each other," I said hastily and I pulled Kathy out of the doorway and shut the door.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I groaned, "Me and Chase got off to a bad start I guess."

She raised one eyebrow, "What happened?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, we insulted one another on the boat here, I accidentally tripped and knocked him over, and WALL-A! He hates me!" I said, throwing my arms up.

"Yeah, he acts like that to everyone. Why do you think he hates you?" she asked, still confused.

"He yelled at Colleen for hiring me!"

Kathy whistled the kinda whistle a rock makes when you drop it off a cliff. "Yeah, that's not so good…"

I sighed, "I don't get why he hates me so much. I mean, I've only known him for a few days…"

Kathy sighed too, "Yeah, I'm not sure… it's not that easy to get on Chase's bad side. What did you guys talk about on the boat?"

I thought back to our arguments, "We talked about not falling off the boat… we talked about how Anissa and him lived on the island… about how the soil isn't fertile, and about the Harvest Goddess."

Kathy's eyes widened, "…You talked to him about that?"

"About what?" I asked.

"The Harvest Goddess," she clarified.

"…Yeah…" I answered, confused. "Why?"

"…Chase… gets a little emotional when people talk about her…" Kathy said, she looked down at the floor.

"Why?" I asked.

She hesitated. "He… doesn't like to talk about it… and he asked me not to tell anyone."

I folded my arms over my chest, "Well, okay. So what should I do? You're my new boss."

Kathy's face lit up now that the conversation had changed, "Well, since you just signed up today you don't have to work. Technically, your job starts tomorrow."

I sighed, "Well alright, but there's one thing I need you to do for me."

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Could you go back in the kitchen and tell Chase I'll be working the night shift too. I don't think he'll get as mad at you as he did at Jack."

Kathy gulped, "Yeah, I'll go do that," she said and went meekly back into the kitchen. I waited to see how it would go. I heard Kathy say something, to Chase I assume, and then there was a loud BANG and some yelling. After a few minutes Kathy came back out and she looked like a balloon had blown up in her face. She blinked, like she had been stunned and was just now recovering. She held up one finger.

"…You…owe…me."

- - -

**Well, I'm officially out of chapters I pre-wrote . ^^ Which means it may take a little longer in between chapters now... Sorry!**

**If anyone is reading this, could you please review...**


	7. Chapter 7: Taking a Fall for the Food

**~Hello Readers!**

**Sorry this chapter took a little while. Hope you like it.**

- - -

I heard a loud ringing coming from a table next to me. I tried to ignore it, but it just got louder and louder and wouldn't stop. I squeezed me eyes shut and smacked whatever it was. I heard a thud and the ringing stopped for a minute.

Then it started up again.

I groaned and looked at the floor, "Stupid alarm clock," I muttered, rubbing my eyes. I picked it up and turned it off. Well, Time for my first day working at the inn. I stretched and got out of bed. I thought about changing into some other clothes, but then wait, I still don't own any!!!

I sighed. I should go around town sometime. I needed to buy some things. Maybe Maya could give me some more errands to run today. I looked around and saw a hairbrush on the nightstand. It had a card under it.

~ Akari

I thought you might like this. I noticed you didn't have any luggage

with you when I showed you your room, so I wanted you to have my extra

hair brush. Oh, and I asked Haydon if you could start your bar shift at 8:00

instead of 6:00 so I could take you to get some clothes. You'll love the stuff

Candace and Luna make!

~ Maya

I would have to thank her later. I picked up the brush and worked to get the knots out of my hair. Why did my hair always get so tangled? After I finished I walked downstairs and looked around for Maya, trying to avoid Chase. When I didn't see him, I figured the coast was clear and I walked around to continue my search for Maya. She never seemed to be around when I wanted to talk to her. I sighed and turned back towards the stairs, about to go check her room, when the front door of the inn opened to reveal a very tired and annoyed looking cheif. He looked surprised at first, and glared at me just like he had yesterday. I scowled back at him. Was this ever going to get old?

Maya came down the stairs just then to see the two of us having a glowering contest. "Good morning Akari!" she said cheerfully, and then she looked up, "Oh Chase, you're here early!"

The silence lasted a while until Chase finally broke it, "I'll be in the kitchen." He stormed off and left Maya and I on the staircase.

I turned to ask her something, "So, what would you like me to do today?" Maya folded her arms across her chest and thought.

We walked down the stairs and towards the bar counter. You could see into the kitchen from there. Chase was cooking something, he still looked angry. We sat down on some stools by counter in front of the kitchen.

"Well, I'm not really sure," Maya replied. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chase turn slightly towards us. Maya didn't seem to notice. "Yolanda told me this morning that we still don't have a lot of milk, so someone is gonna have to leave to get that. And we need to go to the General Store to pick up some more silverware."

"I could go," I suggested. I would be more than happy to get away from Chase. I didn't like to be somewhere I felt I was unwelcome.

But Maya shook her head, "No Akari! Not after yesterday. You should hang around here and do something else. Something that won't get you put in the clinic again."

I could see Chase turn back to what he was making, looking annoyed. I sighed. "So who's gonna go and get the milk and silverware?"

"Hm…" Maya thought, "Well, I could go get them and you could wait the tables while I'm gone."

I froze.

Chase slammed one of the cabinets.

Maya looked towards the sound, "Chase! What's wrong?"

He groaned, "I don't want her carrying anything I cook!" He practically yelled as he pointed at me.

"Why?" Maya asked. She seemed really confused.

Chase opened his mouth to answer, but I did first, "He thinks I'll drop something." I said turning to scowl at him.

Just then a relatively short woman with pink hair came in. She was wearing an apron and a red bandana around her neck. "Chase! That's no way to treat our new guest."

Chase looked over to her, completely surprised. "Yolanda, she's accident prone-"

"Chase, you've barely known her for two days!" she cut him off, "Now Akari is going to wait tables today and I'll hear no more complaining from you!"

Wow, Yolanda sounded like she was scolding a little kid.

Chase sighed and went back to the dish he had started when he first got here. Yolanda came over to me, "I'm sorry Akari. Chase isn't usually like this."

Great, so he only hates me.

"Oh, it's fine," I said.

"Well, I'm going to go to Brownie Ranch to get some milk. Bye Chase! Bye Akari! Bye Yolanda!" Maya waved as she ran out the door. As she did, Luke came in.

"Hi Luke!" I waved and he turned around.

"Oh, hey Akari!" he said cheerfully and walked over to me. "What are you doing here?"

I sighed, "Well, my house isn't done yet, so I'm staying here…"

Luke looked at me a little annoyed and confused, "Did the mayor tell you to stay here?"

I nodded.

"Did he say your house would be built soon?"

I nodded again, I didn't see the point in the questions. Then Luke slapped himself in the forehead. "Why does he always do this!?"

"What?" I asked. I was completely lost.

"The mayor's always doing this. He advertizes that there's plenty of room on the island and has the new guests stay at the inn until the houses are built." Luke pinched the bridge between his nose, "But he never tells us carpenters that we need to go build houses for these people! He always forgets that little detail!"

I really wanted to hit something just then, but it wasn't Luke's fault I didn't have a house, so I tried to be polite. "So does that mean you'll start working on it soon?"

He stopped pinching his nose and looked up at me. "Well no, I can't. My dad has me scheduled to work on some renovations first. And then we have to enlarge some of the barns over at Brownie Ranch. That's why it's a pain when Mayor Hamilton doesn't tell us these things. It'll take about a week or so until we'll have time to work on your house."

_I'm_… gonna be stuck _here…_ for a _week…_ with Chase!?

I wanted to scream, I wanted to break everything in the inn right then and there. No way!!! I'm going back to Anissa's house the first chance I get! I'm not staying here for a week! Not if Chase is gonna scowl at me every single time he looks up!

"Uh, Akari… are you okay?" Luke asked. He looked a little frightened.

I tried to calm down… again. I sighed, "Sorry Luke. I'm just really anxious to get my own house." I motioned for him to lean closer, and he did. "I don't really want to stay at the inn very long," I whispered.

"Why?" he asked.

"I… I guess I just don't feel very welcome here…"

Luke understood what I meant and glared at Chase over my shoulder.

"Luke, it's nothing," I insisted. "We just had a misunderstanding."

"If you say so," he said, still eyeing Chase angrily.

I sighed and got up from my seat. "Come on Luke! You came here for a reason. Did you want something to eat?" I asked.

"Oh, right! I forgot. Sure, I'd like some food," he said.

"Okay, you can go sit down while I get you a menu," I replied as I went over to the counter. Luke sat down and I came over with a list of breakfast choices.

"So do you come here to eat a lot?" I asked him as he looked over the options.

"Yeah. Lots of the other villagers do too. Maybe you'll get to meet some," he said. "I'll have some Omelette Rice." Luke handed me the menu back.

"Kay, I'll go get it!" As I walked over to the counter I realized I'd have to talk to Chase. I groaned internally and I put the menu back in the pile. "Chase, Luke would like-"

"I heard him!" He practically yelled as he slid a plate of Omelette Rice down the counter.

"Well sorry for doing my job!" I retorted sarcastically as I picked up Luke's order and brought it over to him.

"I see what you ment about feeling unwelcome," he said a little loudly so Chase would here.

I sighed and placed his food on the table.

The rest of the day went smoothly. Luna came by and introduced me to her sister Candace. She seemed nice, but she wasn't very talkative. Luna said Maya stopped by their store and asked them to drop off some clothes for me. Apparently Maya couldn't wait for me to go with her to get clothes. I tried to refuse, but they insisted. They stayed for lunch before heading back to the Tailor's. Some other villagers stopped by too. I got to meet Toby, a fisherman that hangs around the dock, and I got to thank Jin for taking care of me when Chase brought me to the Clinic the day before.

"Oh it's quite alright," he said. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes very much," I answered trying to sound cheerful.

We didn't have a whole lot of customers, which isn't much of a surprise I guess since it's such a small town. It was getting late and we only had a few customers left. A traveler named Calvin was one of them. He seemed really nice and he talked to me a lot while I watied tables. He was much nicer than Chase, and more mature than Luke. I guess you could say I had a bit of a crush on him.

Chase and I didn't speak to each other at all since his hearing was obviously good enough to get the orders without me needing to repeat them, so all I did was pick up the food once it was made and clear the tables once it was gone.

I waited on a bar stool as Chase finished up the last few dishes. Calvin had ordered Shark Fin Stew. Chase set it on the counter, "Don't drop it."

Wow, he spoke, I thought to myself.

I rolled my eyes and picked up the soup. It was heavy. I struggled to hold it up as I carried the soup to Toby's table. I was almost there when…

I stepped on my shoelace.

Everything seemed to slow down. I started falling forwards. The soup was weighing me down so much that it was impossible to right myself. The floor approached quickly. I only had two options. One, I could drop the soup and catch myself with my hands. Or two, I could just fall on my face.

_Don't drop it_

I could hear Chase's order repeat itself in my head. He'd never forgive me if I just let the soup fall. As much as I hated him and as bad as he treated me...

I wanted to be friends with him.

And that would never happen if I dropped his food.

I held the bowl up and squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the impact.

BANG!!!

I heard some gasps and a yell. Someone called my name, and I blacked out.

- - -

**Sorry, I know. It's kinda corny. I didn't know what else to write at this point.**


	8. Chapter 8: A Light Touch

**~Hello Readers!**

**Since I haven't put up a new chapter in a few days I thought you guys deserved a bonus chapter. Also, this one is a little short. Hope you liek it though.**

- - -

I was really tired and my head was pounding. Why did this feel so familiar? Oh right, I probably passed out again. I could hear voices, faint ones. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. My eyelids were just too heavy. Eventually I gave up and tried to listen to what the voices were saying.

"H-how is she?" someone asked. I couldn't make out who it was.

There was a pause, "Well doc?" someone else asked.

"Well, she broke her nose. And she also managed to give herself a concussion. She might be out for another day or so. She's very frail…" I recognized Jin's voice.

Wait a sec… I BROKE MY NOSE!?!?

"You shouldn't've given her such a hard time!" someone else said. I think it was Luke.

I heard a sigh. "Jin, would it be alright if I stayed here a little while…"

"Not without me you're not!" Luke insisted.

"Luke, you should probably head back to the carpenters. I'm sure whenever Akari wakes up, she would love to be able to move into her new house," Jin said. I knew I liked him. "You don't have work right now, right Chase?"

Chase was here?

I heard the door open and close. Footsteps approached the side of the bed next to where I was laying and I heard a squeak from an old chair.

"You stupid girl…" someone said quietly.

Yep, that was Chase. Jeez, even when I'm knocked out he insults me. Doesn't he know I'm supposed to be unconscious? Maybe he just likes to talk to himself.

"… why didn't you just drop the soup?" he continued.

Uh?

"Sure, I told you not to drop it, but I didn't mean go and have a fainting fit. I…" he paused. "…I didn't mean for you to get hurt…"

Does he know I can hear him?

He sighed, "Maybe I should wait until you wake up to apologize…"

He wanted to apologize?

He didn't say anything for awhile. I felt Chase put his hand on mine. …What is he doing?

"Ugh, this is so annoying…" he muttered.

What was that about?

I heard him sigh, "Wake up soon Akari…"

I didn't hear Chase say anymore before I drifted off, but I could still feel the warmth from his hand until I fell asleep.

- - -

**~ Let me know what you think. I might make a chapter in Chase's point of view later...**


	9. Chapter 9: Was I right?

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I couldn't think of what to write. Hope you like it!**

- - -

When I could finally open my eyes the sun was just starting to rise. I had assumed the conversation I heard last night was just a dream. But then I looked over the side of my bed and I saw Chase asleep in the chair. His hand was still on mine.

I pulled my hand out from his and I blushed. This was so weird. Chase hates me, why is he acting like this? He's a creep.

I was surprised that Luke didn't stay, but Jin had a good point. I would like to move into my house soon. I sighed and tried to get up. My legs felt heavy and it took a little longer than it should have. When my feet touched the ground, the floorboards squeaked.

Which caused Chase to wake up.

He blinked a few times, still groggy, and looked up at me. Then he looked surprised.

"You're awake?"

I glared at him. "No, I sleepwalk," I said sarcastically. I was still annoyed at him for various reasons.

He stood up and looked at me with an irritated expression, "This isn't a joke! You had us worried!"

"_Us_?" I enunciated. Chase blushed. "I thought you hated me."

He glared at me, "I was worried."

"So you _don't_ hate me?" I asked skeptically.

He folded his arms across his chest and looked away, "Just because I don't like you it doesn't mean I can't worry about you."

I was ready to strangle him. He made no sense.

"Forget this! I'm leaving!" I tried to storm out the door, but lost the feeling in my legs and started to fall.

And Chase caught me.

"You need to rest," he insisted.

I tried to stand, "I'm fine!"

When I couldn't get up, Chase pushed me back on the bed. He looked really annoyed. "You need to learn to take better care of yourself," he said sternly.

I looked up at him and scowled, "Like you care!"

Boy did he look mad. "I-" he began and stopped quickly. His eyebrows knitted together and he sighed. He sat down next to me. "How's your nose?"

My nose? …OH! Right, I broke it.

I reached up to my face and felt a small cast over the bridge of my nose. I tried to rub the cast, but that only made my nose hurt. I shut my eyes from the pain.

"Looks like it hurts," Chase said smugly.

I glowered at him. "So what happened last night?"

He smirked. "You fell," he answered smugly.

I rolled my eyes and glared at him. "After that."

I'm not really sure why, but Chase looked like I'd caught him off guard. He sighed and his eyes fell to the floor. His eyebrows knitted together again. "Luke and I brought you here last night." He looked up at me, "Jin thought you'd be out much longer than you were."

I was confused. Why did he have to look away to tell me that him and Luke took me to the clinic?

"How long was I out?"

Chase looked over at a digital clock next to the bed. "About 15 hours. Jin thought you'd be out for a few days instead of one night."

I sighed and tried to stand up, but Chase but his hand on my shoulder and pulled me back down next to him, "You're not leaving yet."

"Why not!?" I said, irritated.

"Because Jin needs to check you over before you leave." He rose from the bed. "I'll go look for him." He saw me start to get up. "And you'll wait here," he said sternly.

"Why?"

He smirked. "It only takes one person to find another," he said as he opened the door. "I'll be right back," and he closed the door behind him.

I groaned and looked out the window. Right, like I was gonna sit here and wait for him to get Jin. I _was_ gonna just get up and leave, but Chase would stop me before I could get out of the building. Why did he want me to stay in here so badly?

I sighed and looked around. I could see the trees outside the window. There was a blue bird standing on one of the branches.

I thought about climbing out the window for a minute, but then Jin came into the room with a sour-looking chef trailing behind him. He looked at me, surprised, "So Chase was right, you really are awake."

Chase folded his arms and turned towards the door, "What, you think I can't tell if she's awake or not?"

"It's very uncommon for coma patients to wake up this early," Jin muttered to no one in particular. "Akari, you should probably go home and rest today." I saw Chase smirk.

"I'm fine," I insisted. I stood up and, unfortunately, I wobbled a bit.

Chase looked at me with an annoyed expression. "You're not going to work today," he said sternly. "I'll take you back to the inn and you can rest in your room."

I ignored him and walked passed him and the doctor, out the door, and down the hall. Jin followed after me with Chase right behind him. "Akari, you shouldn't leave in such a hurry when your strength hasn't returned yet."

I paid no attention to Jin. I didn't care what they said. I hated when people looked at me like I was helpless and I couldn't do something on my own. After I made it out of the clinic, Chase caught up to me.

"What's got you so worked up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I didn't bother to answer him and walked faster towards the inn.

He kept up, still trying to talk to me. "So you're not even going to answer me?"

When I still refused to respond, Chase stopped trying to keep up with my pace and stopped all together. Had he given up?

"Akari!" Chase called from a few feet back.

I stopped in my tracks and turned around to face him. I was so mad at him, and I wasn't even sure why anymore. I was mad that he was so mean to me for no reason. I was mad that he hated me fro no reason. That he was a rude, arrogant, hot-tempered, selfish jerk. I was gonna walk right up and smack him.

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

I was completely shocked.

_He sighed, "Maybe I should wait until you wake up to apologize…"_

_He wanted to apologize?_

He… he really apologized.

"F-for?" I urged, still stunned.

"For… a lot of things," he muttered looking away. Why couldn't he look at me when he spoke!? Then he looked back up at me, "Why did you let yourself fall on your face?"

This made me very angry again, but I wasn't fuming anymore. I struggled to make my voice sound normal. "Because-," and then I remembered something. I fell because I thought Chase would never forgive me. Right now his face looked tormented and confused.

I sighed and my shoulders slumped. I looked at the ground. "Because… I thought you'd never forgive me if I dropped it."

I looked back up at him after I finished explaining to see that his expression calmed a little.

"So, would you have forgiven me if I had dropped it instead of breaking my nose?" I asked meekly.

- - -

**Okay, Chase gets his own chapter next! Also, I changed part of Chapter 7. It's not much, but Akari talks about Calvin a little.**


	10. Chapter 10: Losing the Fight

**~Hello Readers!**

**Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews!!! ^^ My writer's block is giong away so hopefully I'll have more chapters up soon. Also, this chapter is in Chase's Point of View. It is a condenced version of the first few chapters, but he starts to get more detailed the closer he gets to the present setting. Hope you like it!**

- - -

I had just come home a few days ago. Why did I even call this place my home? I hate this island! But I was back. There was this really annoying girl named Akari on the boat ride home. Her and Anissa had been arguing with me about the Goddess. How can they believe she's real after…? Ugh, oh and also, that new girl is so clumsy that she tripped getting off the boat and made both of us fall on the ground.

Anyway when I got back to the inn, Yolanda was happy to see me. Fortunately Maya wasn't there when I got back, so she didn't have anything toxic for me to eat. However, she had used up the last of our food, so Jeff sent me out to get more.

I went to Brownie Ranch first and then over to Souffle Farm. And wouldn't you know it, Akari was there. Of all the places she could be. Wasn't she supposed to be working on her own ranch? I teased her a little while she worked in the fields. She was such a klutz; I was surprised she was still alive.

After I bought the food I came to get and I was leaving, I saw her fall with a basket full of strawberries. I still needed to buy some, but I wasn't about to after they'd been dropped, but I went over to check them out anyway and to make sure she was okay. I was a little annoyed that the strawberries were perfectly fine, even shiny, and she was covered in dirt, scrapes, and bruises because she didn't want to drop them. She was even smiling. What kinda person would get hurt over something as insignificant as strawberries? Maybe she just wanted to prove me wrong, she seemed to like trying to prove herself to others.

So I bought the strawberries too and brought the groceries back to the inn. I didn't go to work when I usually did the next day because I wanted to… go somewhere. I asked Colleen if it was alright if I came later and she was fine with it. But after my errand was done, I found a certain clumsy farmer lying on the ground down the street from the inn.

When I saw her, I felt my heart stop. I thought she had died, like I'd joked about before, but when I got closer I felt her pulse and she was fine. She just fainted. I breathed a sign of relief. I guess I should have figured that this would happen. Why did I care anyway? She was a clumsy, annoying, Goddess believing rancher. I looked down at her; her face was white as a ghost. She looked so… helpless, even though she always tried to hide it.

I couldn't just leave her there.

I picked her up and carried her to the clinic. I felt my pulse race and my face redden as I held her. I didn't like it. It made me feel funny. Why did that happen!? She was the most irritating person I'd ever meet! When we got to the clinic, Jin said she would be out for awhile. I sat her down on one of the hospital beds and sat in the chair next to her until she woke up. When she did, she was completely confused. It was funny to hear her mumble incoherent questions. Then she mentioned Maya and working at the Sundae inn.

The inn I worked at.

I didn't want that. More than anything, I didn't want to work with her. She argued about the things I hated the most, she tripped over her own feet when she walked. She was funny and a quick-thinker when it came to comebacks, but… I didn't want to feel the way I had when I held her ever again. It bothered me. It made me feel like I was loosing a fight to someone. And that someone was her.

I stormed out of the clinic and went to the inn to confront Colleen. Akari seemed confused, but once we got there she understood and felt the same way I did. For some reason I didn't like the fact that she didn't want to work with me either. Ugh, I'm such a hypocrite. After a lot of yelling, Jack said our jobs wouldn't change and we'd just have to deal with our differences. I went into the kitchen so I could be alone for awhile after our argument. Colleen made Akari check on me, but after that she didn't bother coming in. Kathy came in later that night and told me Akari would be working the night shift too.

I probably shouldn't have blown up at Kathy like I did, but I just couldn't stand the idea that I was going to have to work with Akari. Not only that, but Maya left to run errands the next day and Akari was in charge of waiting tables. I snapped at her when she told me Luke's order. I tried not to look at her, but I could tell she was hurt a little. I didn't like hurting her, but I knew she'd stay away from me if I did. And if she stayed away from me then I wouldn't ever feel the way I had again.

We didn't say anything to each other for the rest of the day. I just made the orders and she cleaned the tables. Near the end of our shift, Calvin came in. Calvin was overly nice to her. Akari seemed to talk to him a lot and it annoyed me. Why should it annoy me if she talked to someone else?

I heard Calvin order Shark Fin Stew and I finished it quickly, eager for him to leave. As I sat it down on the counter I warned Akari not to drop it. She seemed annoyed and picked up the dish. Immediately she realized how heavy it was and struggled to carry it over to the table.

I began putting some utensils in the sink when I heard a loud BANG! I sighed, even after I warned her, she went and dropped it. I was so mad, I put a lot of work into my cooking and I didn't want it to end up on the floor. I stomped out of the kitchen and called her name as I opened the door. After I did, I felt the blood drain from my face.

Akari was lying on the floor with a pool of blood around her head. She was still holding the stew.

I rushed over to her. I pulled the soup away from her and sat it on a nearby table. I shook her a little, trying to get her to respond, "Akari!"

But she didn't answer.

I could hear Calvin laughing a few tables down. "What kind of person falls on their face for a bowl of soup?" he mocked, still laughing.

"What?" I asked, disgusted and confused. He was so nice to her before. How could he make fun of her like this?

He managed to stop laughing for a moment as he explained. "She lost her balance and just barely managed to hang onto the soup. She could have caught herself if she had just dropped it." He started laughing again. "Well, I'm leaving," he said and headed towards the door.

I looked down at Akari. Her nose was covered in blood and she was unconscious. But she had done what I asked, she hadn't dropped the soup. Even though I'd snapped at her so much. Why would she do that!?

As Calvin left, Luke came in, "Akari I- HOLLY COW!!! What happened!?"

I looked up at him. I felt the blood from Akari's nose drip down her shoulder and onto my arm. "What did you do!?" he accused.

I glared at him, "I did nothing!"

He just glowered back at me, "Yeah right Chase! I know how you've been treating her! If you hadn't been so nasty to her then she would be alright!"

I couldn't say anything. He was right. If I hadn't talked to her the way I did, then she would be okay. She wouldn't have hesitated to drop the dish. I'd be cleaning soup off the floor, instead of her blood. I glanced down at her, she lying motionless in my arms. I sighed, "Luke… could you help me bring her to the clinic?"

He huffed and walked towards us. "Only cause Akari needs my help," he said sternly.

I nodded and we carried her together to the clinic. Once we arrived, Jin was shocked to see Akari covered in blood.

"What happened!?" he asked.

Luke glared at me and I explained. "She fell carrying a bowl of soup…"

Jin looked over at her then back at us, "Set her down on one of the beds. I'll be right in."

We carried her into a room as instructed and placed her on the cot. Jin came in again and told us we would have to wait outside until his diagnosis was done.

Luke and I waited in the hallway; he glared at me the whole time. I tried to ignore him.

"Why are you even waiting to check on her?" he asked me. "I thought you didn't care about her."

I shot my head around to look at him. I wasn't sure exactly what my face looked like at the time, but I could see bits of fear become evident on Luke's face. He didn't say anything else until Jin came out.

"H-how is she?" I asked.

He didn't answer. "Well doc?" Luke urged.

"Well, she broke her nose. And she also managed to give herself a concussion. She might be out for another day or so. She's very frail…" Jin told us solemnly.

"You shouldn't've given her such a hard time!" Luke scolded.

I sighed. I already knew I was to blame. "Jin, would it be alright if I stayed here a little while…"

"Not without me you're not!" Luke insisted.

"Luke, you should probably head back to the carpenters. I'm sure whenever Akari wakes up, she'd love to be able to move into her new house," Jin said. "You don't have work right now, right Chase?"

I nodded. I wish there was some way I could thank Jin. I opened the door to Akari's room as quietly as possible, shut it behind me, and sat down in a chair next to her bed. It squeaked as I sat down.

I looked down at her. She was very pail. The blood was gone, but there was a brace on the bridge of her nose now.

"You stupid girl…" I muttered. "… why didn't you just drop the soup? Sure, I told you not to drop it, but I didn't mean go and have a fainting fit. I…" I stopped for a second. "…I didn't mean for you to get hurt…"

I hated when I was responsible for the hurt of anyone, but why was it so much stronger for this girl? I looked down at her, her eyes were closed and I sighed. Why was I talking to myself? She obviously couldn't hear me.

"Maybe I should wait until you wake up to apologize…"

As I looked at her, I realized that Jin was right. She did look frail. Her color was almost completely drained from her face. She looked so helpless, and I felt pained because I knew it was my fault and there was nothing I could do.

I glanced down to see that one of her hands was out from under the blanket. I reached for it slowly and placed my hand on top of hers. She was so cold. I moved my thumb under her wrist and felt her pulse against my finger. It was comforting, because even though she didn't seem like it, it meant she was alright.

My heart sang with the beat of her pulse. I felt weird. It was the same feeling I had the first time I'd brought her to the clinic.

"Ugh, this is so annoying…" I muttered.

I still didn't like feeling this way, but I didn't care. So what if I felt funny, I was too happy to notice it much. I had been so worried when I saw her on the ground covered in blood, but the anxiety had faded in the presence of this other feeling. Still, I didn't like the way my heart felt when I held her hand.

I sighed, "Wake up soon Akari…"

I had a lot to apologizes for when she woke up.

- - -

**Thanks for reading! Chase will have one more chapter after this one before we go back to Akari's Point of View. Oh also, I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any.**


	11. Chapter 11: Weighing the Options

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Thank again for reviewing. Oh and here's some shout outs for QueenoftheCatz for beign the first person to review my story and for continuing to read it ^^ (Thanks!) and for CherriEclipse who I'm sure will be very happy to read the chapters she's missed once she can use her computer again... Hope you like it!**

- - -

Soon after, I fell asleep. I awoke the next morning to see Akari up and about. I was completely shocked. Jin said she'd be out much longer.

"You're awake?" I asked.

She glared at me. "No, I sleepwalk,"

I rose and glared back at her. Why did we always have to glare at each other? "This isn't a joke! You had us worried!"

"_Us_?" She enunciated. I blushed. "I thought you hated me."

Oh right, I guess that's why. "I was worried."

"So you _don't_ hate me?" She asked skeptically.

I folded his arms across my chest and looked away. I…I did hate her. I hated feeling the way I did around her. But… "Just because I don't like you it doesn't mean I can't worry."

"Forget this! I'm leaving!" she yelled and tried to storm out the door, but she started to fall over. Luckily, I somehow managed to catch her. I wasn't about to let her get hurt again because of me.

"You need to rest," I insisted.

Akari just tried to stand again, "I'm fine!"

When she tried and failed to stand on her own, I pushed her back on the bed. "You need to learn to take better care of yourself," I told her.

She looked up at me and scowled, "Like you care!"

_Like I care_!? Doesn't she know how scared I was when I found her knocked out? Twice!? Once in a puddle of blood! I was so mad; it felt like smoke would shoot out my ears.

"I-"

I was going to tell her all of this. But I couldn't. It was frustrating, I just couldn't tell her. For some reason, I was afraid to tell her how worried I'd been. I felt my eyebrows knit together and I sighed. I sat down next to her on the bed. "How's your nose?"

She looked confused at first, but then reached up and touched the small cast over the bridge of her nose. After she touched it, she shut my eyes from the pain.

"Looks like it hurts," I teased.

She glared at me again. "So what happened last night?"

I smiled. "You fell."

She rolled my eyes at me. "After that."

_After_ that? Well, that new friend of yours laughed at you as you laid on the floor covered in blood. I just couldn't tell her that either. Even though I said all sorts of mean things to her, I couldn't tell her about Calvin. I should try to be nicer to her. After seeing her hurt so many times and always regretting the way I'd treated her, I realized that Akari would probably be injured beyond belief one day. And when that happened, I wouldn't be able to take back my words. I just couldn't tell her about Calvin. That would make her too sad.

"Luke and I brought you here last night." I looked back up at Akari, "Jin thought you'd be out much longer than you were."

She looked confused about something. "How long was I out?"

I glanced over at the clock next to her bed. "About 15 hours. Jin thought you'd be out for a few days instead of one night."

She sighed and tried to stand up again, but I wouldn't let her. I put my hand on her shoulder and pulled her back down next to me, "You're not leaving yet."

"Why not!?" she asked, irritated.

"Because Jin needs to check you over before you leave." I stood up. "I'll go look for him." As I walked towards the door, I noticed Akari try to follow. "And you'll wait here."

"Why?" she still seemed annoyed.

I smirked. "It only takes one person to find another," I said, opening door. "I'll be right back."

I walked down the hall to find Jin sitting at his desk, reading as usual. "Akari's awake," I told him.

He looked up at me confused, "What?"

"She woke up," I repeated.

He stood up from the table. "How can she be awake already?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Why don't you ask _her_ that?" I muttered sarcastically. He didn't pay attention to me and started down the hallway towards Akari's room. I followed behind him. When he opened the door, he looked over at Akari, sitting upright in her bed looking out the window. "So Chase was right, you really are awake."

I folded my arms across my chest. "What, you think I can't tell if she's awake or not?"

Jin sighed. "It's very uncommon for coma patients to wake up this early," Jin muttered to himself again. "Akari, you should probably go home and rest today." I smiled.

"I'm fine," she insisted again. She stood up and wobbled in front of us. Yeah, that's _definite_ proof that she's fine.

"You're not going to work today I'll take you back to the inn and you can rest in your room," I said sternly.

She didn't answer; she just pushed us aside and stormed out of the clinic. Jin tried to stop her and I continued to follow them. "Akari, you shouldn't leave in such a hurry when your strength hasn't' returned yet."

She still ignored us and continued walking away. I told Jin I'd go catch her. He nodded and left me to go get Akari. When I finally caught up to her, she wouldn't even look at me.

"What's got you so worked up?" I asked.

She didn't say anything, but her pass quickened.

"So you're not even going to answer me?"

When she still wouldn't answer I stopped trying to follow. What could I do to make her stop!?

I've got it.

"Akari!" I called.

She stopped, yes! But man did she look upset. I thought she was going to do something that would put _me_ in the clinic.

I looked down and sighed. "I'm sorry."

When I looked up, her expression was completely different. She looked shocked. Oh Goddess please tell me she's not about to kill me. Wait, why did I say Goddess?

"F-for?" she practically whispered.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "For… a lot of things," I muttered looking away. Why couldn't I look at her when I spoke!? But I did have a lot of apologize for. Maybe I was just too ashamed that her injuries were partially my fault. I struggled to look back up at her, "Why did you let yourself fall on your face?" Why would she try to do what I asked her? There was no reason to. I'd insulted her so much, why would she do that for me?

Maybe I should have thought about that more before I asked. She looked ready to slaughter me again. "Because-," and she stopped and sighed. Her shoulders fell and she looked away. "Because… I thought you'd never forgive me if I dropped it."

She thought what!?

I felt like I'd been stunned. She thought I'd never forgive her for something she did. I'd been a complete jerk to her and she was worried about _me_ forgiving _her?_ Well at least she wasn't going to kill me now… I think.

"So, would you have forgiven me if I had dropped it instead of breaking my nose?" I asked meekly.

She thought I wouldn't forgive her? For what? Dropping a bowl of soup instead of getting a concussion? That's so stupid, of course I'd forgive her!

…Wait… I only started feeling this guilty after the accident. I knew now that it was either Akari's nose or the dish, but if I hadn't known those were the only options… and she had dropped it…

I thought I was going to fall apart into little pieces. I felt like I'd been completely crushed. What kind of person was I?

I shook my head solemnly. In all honesty… "No… I probably wouldn't have."

- - -

**Thanks for reading! We'll be going back to Akari's point of view next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12: 'groan'

**~ Hello Readers! We are back in Akari's point of view. And... um... I don't really know what else to say. Hope you like it!**

- - -

I looked down at the ground. That was the answer I had expected from Chase… He looked distressed for some reason. I didn't know what to say. The air seemed tense. I felt awkward just standing there, looking at him.

His brow furrowed and he looked back up at me, "But you shouldn't have done that. Not for my friendship." He smiled without humor, "I'm not worth it. Just stick to being friends with Maya and Anissa. Well, maybe you'd be better off with just Anissa…"

"Chase," I interrupted. "Why are you like this?"

"What?" He cocked his head to one side.

"Why are you so cold to everyone? To Anissa. To Jake and Colleen. To Maya. Everyone. There has to be a reason," I persisted.

He glared at me, "There is no reason! It's the way I am. I told you I wasn't worth it, and I'm not! I don't even know why I'm still here! All of these people are fools!"

I take aback by his reaction. His fists were clenched and he still glowered at me. "Jeez, I just asked a question!"

His brow furrowed and he smirked. He looked away, "Ya know, I guess there is a reason why I don't like them." He looked up at me, but his smirk was gone and his eyebrows smoothed a little, but he still looked stern. "And it is for the same reason that I don't like you."

I was going to yell at him about… actually I'm not really sure. Just to yell at him I guess, but he cut me off.

"You know what? Fine! Go to work today. See what I care!" He threw his hands up, exasperated and walked off in the opposite direction.

"Fine! Maybe I will!" I spun around and stomped off towards the inn. Chase didn't follow behind me this time. Was that really the person I fell on my face for yesterday!?

Why had I done that? He was right; his friendship obviously wasn't worth it! I pushed the inn door open and looked around for Maya. Maybe she would have something for me to do. I finally found her in the kitchen working on some… dish, maybe?

I walked up to her, "Hi Maya! Whatcha doing?" I tried to sound perky, attempting to hide my irritation from a certain chef… who come to think of it, should be working too right now.

Maya looked up at me, she seemed happy, "Oh Akari! You looked better! How's your nose?"

"It's alright," I said. "I actually haven't noticed it that much."

Maya smiled, "That's good. Would you mind helping me with this?"

"Um… what is 'this'?" I asked, looking into a bowl Maya had in front of her.

"It's Apple Pie!"

I looked into the bowl skeptically. I didn't know Apple Pie had so much yogurt in it.

"Are you going off of a recipe?" I asked as I eyed the bowl.

"Nope!" She said cheerfully. "I'm just using what Yolanda told me to."

"Uh…huh… Well, what would you like me to do?" I asked.

"You could get me some things from the cabinet."

I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon finding random ingredients for Maya, most of which I'm pretty sure don't belong in an Apple Pie. I got her a carrot, some coffee grinds, cheese, turnips, and some other items that I'm glad I managed to forget. I really didn't like knowing some of the ingredients put in food, especially Maya's food.

After awhile Maya noticed that I was slowing down, "Akari, maybe you should go to bed. You seem a little out of it."

I was getting tired and my head was starting to hurt. I rubbed my forehead. "I'm fine," I insisted.

Maya put her hands on her hips and glared at me, "Akari, I'm not having you faint on me today too, now go to bed. You can try some of the pie tomorrow."

My eyes bulged. I was going to have to eat this… this… whatever it was? If going to bed now meant I got to live another day, then I better get upstairs before Maya takes back her offer.

"Okay, I'm going," I made my way up to my room and into bed. My head was throbbing; I wished it would just go away. As I laid in bed, my one hand stuck out from under the blankets like it always did. I'd slept like that for as long as I could remember, but now my hand felt cold. I thought back to last night when Chase had warmed my hand with his.

My eyebrows knit together and I pulled my hand back under the blanket.

- - -

**~ Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13: Mayafoodophobia

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Sorry I haven't written in forever! And I still haven't really written anything, I just rewrote this chapter cause I felt a lot of it was too out of character. Anyway, I'll have another chapter up soon, I promise! ^^ Hope you like it!**

- - -

I sat up and got out of bed. It felt strange to get up before my alarm clock went off. It was still a little dark out; the sunlight was just peeking out over the hillside.

Sense work wouldn't start for an hour at least, I decided to get ready and go downstairs to find something to eat. I was surprised to see that the lights were on and Colleen was already at the counter.

I made my way into the kitchen and started making toast and fried eggs. I got board waiting for them to cook and started day dreaming. I dreamed about getting my farm started. I was really eager to get my first goat. Yes, goat. Not horse, not cow… goat. I don't really know why, but I like goats a lot. I dreamed of actually waking up in my own house instead of the inn or the clinic (more often the clinic). A loud SLAM! Woke me from my reverie and I looked out the window to see that it was light out now. I glanced at the toaster to see that I never pushed the lever down. Boy, am I smart or what?

I pushed in down and checked on the eggs. I was just about to flip them when Chase raced into the kitchen and slammed the door behind him, his back pressed against it. I was so startled I almost dropped the eggs.

"What's up!?" I asked annoyed as I set the pan back on the stove.

Chase looked worried. "Don't let Maya know I'm here!" he whispered urgently.

"Wait, wh-?" I began, but stopped when I heard the doorknob behind Chase turn and he raced over and pressed himself to the wall next to a cabinet. I looked back to the door to see Maya walk in with… um… I'm not really sure what she was carrying.

"Akari, have you seen Chase? I wanted him to try the Apple Pie we made yesterday," she asked innocently.

I smirked. Chase was lucky I didn't bust out on the floor, laughing. That Apple Pie was probably the most toxic thing on this island, and it was hysterical to think of innocent little Maya trying to give it to someone as a gift. I walked over to the cupboard Chase was hiding behind and opened the cabinet to get out a cup. Chase stared at me wide eyes and mouthed the word 'please'. I should tell Maya he was here, and I could watch Chase eat the most disgusting pie in all of history, but I was in a good mood today. I giggled and closed the cabinet. Shook my head at Maya, "Nope, haven't seen him."

"Well, sense I can't find him, would you like to have it with me?"

My smile faded quickly after that. "Um, no thanks Maya, I… I just had breakfast." Or I would have if I paid any attention to toasters. Luckily for me, she didn't notice the eggs on the stove.

"Alright," she said cheerfully and walked out of the kitchen.

I breathed a sigh of relief and heard it echo from the cabinet. I glanced over and saw Chase slide to the ground with his back pushed up against the walk. He sat with his knees up and one hand on his stomach. He looked pale. I smiled and walked over to his hiding place. I looked down at him, "You owe me."

He just nodded, his face still white and eyes wide. I could see sweet on his forehead.

I glared at him. "Jeez, it's just Maya. She's nice." Sure, her cooking was awful, but she meant well.

He looked up at me. "Have you ever tasted anything she made?" he questioned.

"I'm glad I haven't," I answered and turned back to the toaster to see the toast pop out. I grabbed the two pieces squatted down in front of Chase. I handed him one and he looked at me skeptically. "Don't worry, Maya didn't make it," I smiled and he took a slice, but didn't eat it right away. He just held it in his hand and looked at it. I stood up and went back to the stove.

"So why were you so afraid of Maya? So she wants you to taste something that's awful, big deal."

He set the arm that was holding his toast on his knees and looked up at me. "I didn't see you tasting it."

"But I'm not the one who bust into the kitchen and hid behind a cabinet."

He looked away, "I don't have to explain myself to you."

I stopped what I was doing and folded my armed across my chest, "Yes you do, because if your excuse isn't good enough, then Maya will be finding her first taste-tester very soon."

Chase looked up at me with wide eyes, "You wouldn't."

I smirked, "Wanna bet?"

He sighed and looked away. "I… I have a medical condition," he was looking at he ground.

I just looked at him like he was an idiot.

"What?" he asked annoyed.

"That's seriously the best you can come up with? I've heard that stuff a million times. So what's this condition called anyway? Mayafoodophobia?"

He glared at me and tried to suppress a smile at the same time. When he failed, he looked away, "I guess you could call it that."

"Well, if that's all you got," I began, heading for the door. "I'm off to find Maya."

"No you're not!" Chase grabbed my ankle and I tripped. Luckily I didn't fall on my face this time because my hands were free.

I rolled over and glared at him, "Let me go!"

"You are NOT going to get Maya," he said sternly.

"Then start explaining!"

"Why do you want to know so badly!?" he asked exasperated.

"Because if the only reason you don't want to eat Maya's food is just because you're a big jerk, then I'm gonna make you eat it anyway!"

He glared at me a little while longer before finally letting go of my foot and folded his arms together on top of his knees. I folded my legs together and sat next to him. He sighed heavily and rested his head on his arms, looking straight ahead at nothing in particular.

"I've had a weak stomach ever since I was little. Me and Maya grew up together, and she always wanted to eat everything I cooked. I guess she liked my food so much that she wanted to make me something. If you think her cooking is bad now, just think about what if would be like with no experience at all," Chase shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. "Anyway, I was bedridden for about a week. Yolanda was curious as to why it affected me so much. She even tried some of… whatever it was that Maya had made, and she was perfectly fine. She asked Irene to come by the next day and she… ran a lot of test on me," I noticed Chase shiver a little as he told be this. "She told me it was probably genetic."

Chase looked at me and tried to smirk, "Anyway, I can't eat any of the things Maya cooks. If she finds me and makes me try her food, then I usually say something insulting and she runs out and I can spit it out when she's gone. Sometimes her cooking is worse than others, and sometimes it's harder to get away from her, but I usually try to avoid it all together if I can."

"Doesn't she know?" I asked.

He shook his head, "I can't tell her. I insult her about her cooking all the time, but if she knew about… well, she'd go and tell everyone on the island… And I don't really want anyone to know." He placed his head back on his arms.

"Then why are you telling me?" I wondered. Why should I know?

He turned sideways to glare at me with hate filled eyes, "BECAUSE YOU MADE ME!!!" He turned his head so his forehead rested on his arms and he was looking down, "Anyway, Irene doesn't really know what it is. The best explanation she could come up with was I had a weak stomach."

I looked up at the window, "But don't your parents know?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chase tense a little. "I mean Irene said it was genetic, right?"

"She _thinks_ it's genetic," he corrected, his eyes were closed.

"But…" I stopped. I turned back to see Chase looking at me with a strange expression. He looked sad, annoyed, slightly angry, nostalgic, and a bunch of other things put together.

Chase rose from his seat on the floor. "I should be going."

"What about Maya?" I asked as he walked towards the door.

He grinned without joy and his eyes were hard. "I'll be fine," he said and walked out the door.

I sighed and stood up. I looked over at the stove to see that the eggs were overcooked. I sighed again and threw them away. I wasn't really hungry anyway…

I looked at the clock to see that it was 11 o'clock. How long had we been hiding from Maya?

I turned to the sound of the front door opening to see Calvin walk in. He stepped over ot me and sat down at the counter.

"Hello Akari, how's your nose?"

I raised an eyebrow at him for a minute until I remembered what he was referring to. I reached up to feel that the cast was still on my nose.

"Oh, it's fine," I lied.

Calvin pulled his hand out from behind his back, "I brought you these." He held out a bouquet of tulips to me. I blushed.

"They're beautiful! Thanks you Calvin." Why the heck did I say _beautiful? _I never say beautiful, or thank you. It's always thanks! Calvin made me feel so uptight and nervous.

I reached for the tulips, "I'll go put these in some water." I went over to the cabinet and searched for a vase to put them in.

"I'm glad you like them," he smiled. "Are you sure you're alright?"

I nodded and I set flowers next to the sink. Calvin's nice, much nicer than Chase…

"In that case, I should probably be going," he rose from his seat.

"Good bye Akari," he waved.

I waved back and I finally started breathing again once he was out the door.

- - -

**Thanks for reading and please review! Also, I have a poll on my page if you could look at it...**


	14. Chapter 14: Hurricane

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Sorry this took so long to write. I had writers block again. Just to warn you, I couldn't come up with a very good way to transition from Tree Of Tranquility to Animal Parade, so... yeah. Also, I rewrote Chapter 13 is anyone is interested. Hope you like it! ^^**

- - -

"Akari! Chase! Could you two come here a minute?" Colleen called. It was a few days later now. Jin had removed my nose cast and my energy had returned. I looked up from cleaning the tables and Chase walked out of the kitchen.

"What is it?" he asked coldly.

"Well, you see, the mayor is having the island reconstructed for a few weeks, so we-"

"The mayor is what!?" Chase interrupted.

Colleen sighed, "He's having all the buildings on the island torn down and rebuilt. It was something about the new naming ceremony and the storm that's about to hit in a few days."

"And how are these related?" Chase asked crossing his arms across his chest.

"Well, the mayor thought that because the island and all the shops would receive new names, then the island's look should change. Personally, I think it's a lot of work over nothing, but the part about the storm makes more sense. A huge hurricane is said to hit in a few days and it will be big enough to reshape the island." (I know, I know. It's stupid. Sorry, I had to come up with a way to go from the Tree of Tranquility landscape to the Animal Parade one, because I like Animal Parade more, but I really wanted to make fun of the names for Tree of Tranquility)

"Wow…" I sighed.

"And how does this involve us?" Chase asked.

"Well, everyone in town is going to be staying at the inn for a few days and we're going to need more food to cook for everyone."

"EVERYONE!?!" Chase yelled. "We can't fit everyone in town in the inn!"

"Well, there's nowhere else for the villagers to go for shelter during the hurricane. Now, could you two run over to the mine district for me? Oh, and be careful, I heard that even though the storm hasn't fully hit yet, the area around there has changed drastically." (Yes! Yes! I know! It's corny! If I rewrite this story, I'll come up with something better!)

Chase sighed, "Fine, let's go Aka- wait, why does Akari have to come with? She'll probably just hurt herself."

I glared at Chase, but Colleen spoke before I could. "You won't be able to carry all the food on your own Chase, you'll need Akari's help."

"Where are we even supposed to buy food?" he asked, "If all the shops have been moved."

"Not all the stores have been relocated yet, if Souffle Farm is still there, then buy the food from them. If they've moved already, then the general store should be where they're shop was and you can just buy whatever you can from there," Colleen answered.

I started towards the door, "Well, come on Chase, let's get going!"

Chase groaned and followed me out the door. It was raining heavily and the wind was so strong I thought I'd be blown away.

"I don't get paid enough for this," Chase said squinting into the rain. "Who ever heard of a hurricane reshaping an island anyway?"

"The weather man," I answered and we forced ourselves to walk into the wind.

We didn't bother talking for awhile, not only because I didn't want to talk to Chase, but even if I did, he wouldn't be able to hear me over the howling wind. Leaves blew through the air and stuck to my face. Some got in my eyes and I couldn't see where I was going. I felt myself walking uphill and just trusted myself to know where I was going without the helpful sense of sight.

"AKARI! STOP!" Chase shouted.

I turned to the sound of his voice and the leaves blew away from my eyes. I saw Chase staring at me with a horrified expression. I felt the wind put hard against me, pushing me in the direction I had been walking. I turned back around to see a cliff just behind my heels. The wind blew harder and I felt my balance leaving me. I screamed as I fell over the edge towards the water below. I shut my eyes, bracing for impact. I thought I was done for.

Until someone's hand grabbed my wrist.

I looked up to see Chase lying on the ground, his arm outstretched over the cliff, his hand clenching mine. One of his eyes was shut from the rain blowing in his face.

"Chase!" I called.

"Hold… on…" he struggled to say. He brought his other arm down and reached for my other hand. I reached for his and he strained to pull me back up. He leaned back and fell over as I scrambled back onto the cliff. We both breathed heavily, I held my hands near my heart. My pulse wouldn't slow. That was scary. Who am I kidding? That was horrifying.

I glanced over to see Chase sitting up, pressing his palms into the ground behind him, his legs in front. He was still panting and the color was drained from his face. He was staring at the ledge. He looked over at me. "You okay?" he asked.

I nodded. He closed his eyes for a moment and looked back at the cliff, "How long has a waterfall been here!?"

I looked over to see that he was right and a waterfall had formed behind the cliff. "This is some storm," I said. I looked around, "I don't think we can go any farther, not until someone build a bridge around here."

"Yeah, let's go back to the inn," Chase agreed and rose from his seat on the ground. "Groceries aren't worth getting killed over." He held a hand out to he, and I gratefully accepted and he helped me up. "You sure you're okay?"

I blushed a little, "Yeah, why?"

"Well, with your luck, I thought you'd slam your ankle into the side of the cliff or something," he laughed.

I elbowed him in the side and walked back in the direction we'd come in.

Score: Calvin: 2 Chase: -10

- - -

**Chase: Great transition Jen! *heavy ****sarcasm***

**Me: *wakes Chase with my sketchbook* (which is bigger than any of my school books) Please review! And Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15: Warm Welcome

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Yes, I know. I'm sorry, this is the shortest chapter in history, but I needed this small chapter to go here. Hope you like it! ^^**

- - -

I pushed forward against the wind, it was still hard to see.

"Don't fall off again," Chase laughed, he was holding his side where I elbowed him.

I turned around to glare at him, then faced forward again. It had gotten much darker, and the rain felt more like pebbles. I saw the inn come into view and raced towards it. I heard Chase's speed pick up behind me too. And sense it is me we're talking about, I slipped on the wet walkway and fell on my butt. I heard Chase laugh as he caught up. I glared at him as he reached for the door and we were both surprised when Calvin opened it.

"Oh Akari! What happened to you?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

I looked up to see Chase glaring at him. "What are you doing here?" he questioned angrily.

Calvin's eyes settled on Chase, "What did you do to Akari now?"

Chase's glare softened slightly, "She fell, I didn't do anything."

"You're right, you didn't," Calvin said, reaching a hand out for mine. I grabbed it and he pulled me up. "A gentleman would have caught her."

Chase's face was turning red with anger. "_What_ are _you_ doing here!?" he asked again.

"I'm here because everyone in town has gathered here to avoid the storm. Didn't you get the memo?" Calvin mocked.

Chase glowered at him before stomping off into the kitchen. I turned to see Calvin smiling, "Calvin, why were you so mean to Chase?"

Calvin chuckled, "He's just a bully Akari, don't mind him."

I looked over Calvin's shoulder to see Chase looking back at us, his expression looked hurt.

Chase was a jerk, a bully, a creep. He insults everyone, all the time. But still…

*flashback to the cliff*

"Chase!" I called.

"Hold… on…"

*Back to Reality*

He was the one who caught me.

Calvin: 5 Chase: -7

- - -

**Chase: I saved her life and I only get 3 points!?**

**Me: Watch it Chase, otherwise you'll be at -15**

**Chase: I- ...nevermind**

**Me: Thanks for reading! Chase gets the next Chapter!**

**Chase: Finally!**

**Calvin: What about me?**

**Chase: Nobody cares about you!**

**Calvin: - Except Akari.**

**Chase: Oh, just shut up!**


	16. Chapter 16: Rivals

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Thanks for your reviews! Now that my writers block is gone for the time being, I've written a lot! ^^ This chapter is Chase's and it goes back to when he told Akari he wouldn't have forgiven her for dropping his dish. Boy, that was a long time ago. Anyway, Chase gets the next chapter too, which should put Akari's and Chase's Point of Views around the same area. Oh, and sorry to any Calvin fans out there, but I don't like Calvin very much and I couldn't find anyone else to play his part. Hope you like it! ^^**

- - -

I… I wouldn't have forgiven her…

I felt my eyebrows knit together. I looked up at her, "But you shouldn't have done that. Not for my friendship." I tried to smile, "I'm not worth it," no friendship is worth going to the clinic everyday. "Just stick to being friends with Maya and Anissa." I thought about that for a second, "Well, maybe you'd be better off with just Anissa…" Maya's food would put Akari in the clinic too.

"Chase, Why are you like this?" she asked.

"What?" I cocked my head. What did she mean?

"Why are you so cold to everyone? To Anissa. To Jake and Colleen. To Maya. Everyone. There has to be a reason," she explained.

Oh, that. I glared at her. Of course she wouldn't understand, "There is no reason! It's the way I am. I told you I wasn't worth it, and I'm not! I don't even know why I'm still here! All of these people are fools!" They all believe in her, and for what? It's a miracle this island hasn't sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

She looked a little frightened by my reaction, "Jeez, I just asked a question!"

I looked away and smiled, "Ya know, I guess there is a reason why I don't like them." There was a reason, but not one I wished to explain. Then I thought back to the boat ride on the way here.

*flashback*

"SHE'S JUST A FAIRY TALE!!" I yelled

"What makes you so sure!?" she yelled back.

*back to reality*

My smile faded, "And it is for the same reason that I don't like you." Well, I guess I had another reason I didn't like her, but I knew she'd _never_ understand that one...

I just glared at the ground for awhile. Why is everyone here so blind!? How can they possibly believe in her?

"You know what? Fine! Go to work today. See what I care!" I threw my hands up, exasperated and stormed off back towards the clinic. Why should I care what Akari does? It's none of my business.

"Fine! Maybe I will!" I started off towards the inn. I knew she shouldn't be working, but I really didn't care at the time. After all, she believes in the Harvest Goddess, so why's it matter.

I walked off to the beach and stared at the waves for the longest time. Why did it bother me so much? The way I felt around Akari, why did it happen?

I placed my hand on my chest. Even when I'm not with her, thinking about her makes that funny feeling come back. What did it mean? I've never felt like this before and I don't understand it at all. Why do I feel this way around her? Akari's incredibly clumsy, she's stubborn, she always tries to do everything herself... wait, those last two things aren't bad. And being a clutz isn't grounds to hate someone... Why do I hate her? Is it just because of this feeling?

I looked off into the distance to see the sun setting and I sighed. It's funny how after a while you forget the reason you hate a person...

It was getting dark and I decided to head home, I just wanted to be alone for awhile.

The next morning I woke early to a knock at my door. I rose sleepily and got dressed quickly. Who could possibly be at my house at 6 in the morning?

I went over to the door and opened it to see Maya standing on my porch. She had a grin on her face from ear to ear and she was holding… um… something. I sniffed the air and I felt like I would be sick. Not again…

"Hi Chase! Would you try my pie?" she held out the... thing she was carrying. _This_ was supposed to be a pie?

"Maya, that doesn't even look like a pie."

"But it tastes like one!" she insisted.

"But it smells like dirt," I continued. I really wasn't in the mood for this, and it didn't look like she was going to back down anytime soon.

"But it still tastes like one!"

You brainless, little food prisoner, just go away already! I sighed. "Um, how about I walk you to work and I try some when we get there?" I asked.

"Okay!" she said cheerfully and grabbed my hand and pulled me off towards the inn. I felt sweat drip down from my forehead. Maybe she'll drop it.

She continued skipping down the path, dragging be along behind her until we reached the inn. Then she spun around to face me, "Now will you try it?" She pushed the _pie_ right in my face, and the smell was awful. Come on, think!

"Uh, Maya? Could you go check on Akari first? She might want some to," I suggested. Hopefully she wouldn't be sent to the clinic _again_ because of me.

"Okay!" she skipped through the door and up the stairs. I hurried in after her and ran into the kitchen. I immediately shut the door behind me. I looked up to see Akari almost drop a pan of scrambled eggs. Shoot, this means Maya will be back down here any second.

"What's up!?" Akari asked. She seemed annoyed

"Don't let Maya know I'm here!" I begged quietly.

"Wait, wh-?" she started, but I felt the door knob turning behind my back and raced behind a cabinet and pushed myself against the wall. With any luck, Maya wouldn't see me. Akari turned to the sound of the door opening and I heard Maya's voice.

"Akari, have you seen Chase? I wanted him to try the Apple Pie we made yesterday."

I heard Akari giggle and she walked over to the cabinet, pretending to take out a glass and she looked at me.

_Please_, I mouthed the word. Maya couldn't find me, otherwise I'd be toast.

She giggled and shut the cabinet. She shook her head, "Nope, haven't seen him."

"Well, sense I can't find him, would you like to have it with me?" Maya suggested.

I almost laughed as I saw the color drain from Akari's face, "Um, no thanks Maya, I… I just had breakfast." I looked over at the eggs on the stove. Did Akari really think Maya was that stupid?

"Alright," Maya said before leaving. Wow, she really is an idiot.

We both breathed sighs of relief when she left. I slumped to the floor, my back still pressed against the wall. I didn't feel so great, even though I hadn't eaten any of Maya toxic food. I placed my hand on my stomach. That was close.

Akari stepped over to the cabinet and glanced down at me with a smile, "You owe me."

I nodded, I did owe her.

She glared at me. "Jeez, it's just Maya. She's nice."

I looked up at her. "Have you ever tasted anything she made?"

"I'm glad I haven't," she answered before grabbing some toast from the toaster. She knelt down in front of me and handed me one. I just looked at it for a minute, I wasn't sure if I would be able to eat anything after smelling that dish Maya made.

"Don't worry, Maya didn't make it," she smiled and I took a slice, just to be polite. I didn't plan on eating it.

She rose from her seat on the floor and went back to the stove. "So why were you so afraid of Maya? So she wants you to taste something that's awful, big deal."

I stopped looking at the toast she'd handed me and placed my arm on my knees. "I didn't see you tasting it," I mocked.

"But I'm not the one who busted into the kitchen and hid behind a cabinet."

I glared at the ground, "I don't have to explain myself to you."

Akari stopped what she was doing and folded her arms, "Yes you do, because if your excuse isn't good enough, then Maya will be finding her first taste-tester very soon."

I looked up at her. "You wouldn't." No. Don't. Please.

She smiled evilly, "Wanna bet?"

I sighed and looked away. Fine, she wants to know, if it will keep Maya away. "I… I have a medical condition," I said, looking at the ground.

She just looked at me like I was an idiot.

"What?"

"That's seriously the best you can come up with?" she scoffed. "I've heard that stuff a million times. So what's this condition called anyway? Mayafoodophobia?"

I tried not to smile at her joke. This wasn't funny. But her name did fit the description pretty well, "I guess you could call it that."

"Well, if that's all you got," I looked up to see her facing the door, "I'm off to find Maya."

"No you're not!" I grabbed her ankle to stop her and she tripped. I was relieved to see she'd caught herself this time, Jin and Luke would kill me if I broke her nose again.

She rolled over and glared at me, "Let me go!"

"You are NOT going to get Maya."

"Then start explaining!" she insisted

"Why do you want to know so badly!?" I asked exasperated. What difference did it make? Not eating Maya's food is common sense, like not stabbing yourself with a knife.

"Because if the only reason you don't want to eat Maya's food is just because you're a big jerk, then I'm gonna make you eat it anyway!" she was glaring at me.

So basically, if I really am a jerk, then I'm gonna die today.

I glared at her, thinking over my options, before let go of her foot and folded my arms together on top of his knees. She folded her legs and sat next to me. I sighed and rested my head on his arms, staring off into space.

"I've had a weak stomach ever since I was little. Me and Maya grew up together, and she always wanted to eat everything I cooked. I guess she liked my food so much that she wanted to make me something. If you think her cooking is bad now, just think about what if would be like with no experience at all," That was the most awful thing I'd ever eaten. I didn't know food could taste so bad. I shut my eyes tightly and shook my head, trying to forget.

"Anyway, I was bedridden for about a week. Yolanda was curious as to why it affected me so much. She even tried some of… whatever it was that Maya had made, and she was perfectly fine. She asked Irene to come by the next day and she… ran a lot of test on me," I remembered having an oxygen tank strapped to my face and lots of needles. I got 5 shots a day that week. I shivered a little. "She told me it was probably genetic."

I looked over at Akari. She looked curious and concerned. I tried to smile, "Anyway, I can't eat any of the things Maya cooks. If she finds me and makes me try her food, then I usually say something insulting and she runs away and I can spit it out when she's gone. Sometimes her cooking is worse than others, and sometimes it's harder to get away from her, but I usually try to avoid it all together if I can."

"Doesn't she know?" she asked.

I shook my head, "I can't tell her. I insult her about her cooking all the time, but if she knew about… well, she'd go and tell everyone on the island… And I don't really want anyone to know." I placed my head back on my arms. Maya will never know. Not if I have anything to say about it.

"Then why are you telling me?" she asked.

I glared at her, "BECAUSE YOU MADE ME!!!" You made me tell you my secret, happy? Now I had a reason to hate her; she was nosey. She looked a little scared and my reaction. I turned so my forehead was laying on my rists, "Anyway, Irene doesn't really know what it is. The best explanation she could come up with was I had a weak stomach."

Akari looked out window, "But don't your parents know?"

I tensed. My parents…

"I mean Irene said it was genetic, right?"

"She _thinks_ it's genetic," I corrected, my eyes were closed. I was trying not to think of my family. It always hurt.

"But…" she stopped turned to look at me. Apparently my expression stopped her from finishing her question.

I got up, "I should be going." Maya should be gone by now and I really didn't want to answer anymore questions.

"What about Maya?" Akari asked as I walked towards the door.

She was worried about me? I tried to smile, "I'll be fine," I said and walked out the door.

I looked around carefully, making sure Maya was nowhere in sight before leaving. I pushed the door leading into daylight, and stopped in my tracks as I saw Calvin heading my way. I glared at him. "What are you doing here?"

He smiling evilly, "Can't a guy visit the inn every now and again?"

"You never used to," I pressed.

He shrugged. "Akari never used to work here."

I glowered at him, "What do you want with her? I know you're not her friend." Why was I being so defensive about her?

"She thinks I am," he smiled. I noticed a glint of red from behind his back.

"What's that?" I asked.

He smiled and pulled his hand out from behind his back to reveal a bouquet of flowers, "Tulips."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Doing what?"

I glared at him, "Your know what I mean! Why are you acting so bipolar towards her? One minute you're laughing at her, the next you're giving her flowers."

He shrugged and smiled, "I should be asking you, one minute you're yelling and cussing at her, the next you're visiting her at the clinic."

I gritted my teeth together, "I know you're up to something."

"And what if I am?" he urged.

My hands balled up into fists, "I won't let you hurt her."

"Yeah, that's your job isn't it?" he mocked. I tried to ignore him. "Actually, she does do a pretty good job of that herself…"

"Shut up!" I yelled. "You got a bone to pick with me, fine. But why are you treating Akari like this? She hasn't done anything to you." Why was I defending her so much? This wasn't any of my business.

Chase grinned, "I treat all girls like this. They're just women, nothing much."

I could've knocked him out right then and there, but something stopped me. Akari wouldn't want me to hurt him. Ugh, why did she matter so much!?

"You're sick!" I turned and walked back into the inn. I was going to hide from Maya somewhere else, but I didn't want to leave her and Akari alone in the inn with this messed-up guy. However, I didn't really want to get caught up in this unless I was needed, so I decided to go upstairs and clean the rooms. Seriously, when will I be able to just leave her alone? I could hear Calvin walk in and start talking to Akari, but I tried to ignore them. I just hoped he would leave soon.

- - -

**Me: And this is why Calvin doesn't get a chapter! **

**Chase: You... you are so messed up!**

**Calvin: But I-**

**Me: Nope, you don't get to talk unless I'm the one writing it! Thanks for reading and please review! And again, sorry Calvin fans, he's just the best pick for the part!**

**Calvin: Wait, Why!?**

**Chase: Cause you've got a fat head!**


	17. Chapter 17: Heavy Storms

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! ^^ As I said before, this is Chase's chapter too, then we'll be going back to Akari's point of view. Hope you like it!**

- - -

"Akari! Chase! Could you two come here a minute?" Colleen called. A few days had gone by sense Calvin came by and dropped off those flowers. Akari had her nose cast removed too. I walked out of the kitchen and saw her looking up at Colleen.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, you see, the mayor is having the island reconstructed for a few weeks, so we-" she began.

"The mayor is what!?" He's remodeling the island!?

Colleen sighed, "He's having all the buildings on the island torn down and rebuilt. It was something about the new naming ceremony and the storm that's about to hit in a few days."

"And how are these related?" I folded my arms together.

"Well, the mayor thought that because the island and all the shops would receive new names, then the island's look should change. Personally, I think it's a lot of work over nothing, but the part about the storm makes more sense. A huge hurricane is said to hit in a few days and it will be big enough to reshape the island." (I know, I know. It's stupid. Sorry, I had to come up with a way to go from the Tree of Tranquility landscape to the Animal Parade one, because I like Animal Parade more, but I really wanted to make fun of the names for Tree of Tranquility)

"Wow…" Akari sighed.

"And how does this involve us?" I asked.

"Well, everyone in town is going to be staying at the inn for a few days and we're going to need more food to cook for everyone."

"EVERYONE!?! We can't fit everyone in town in the inn!"

"Well, there's nowhere else for the villagers to go for shelter during the hurricane. Now, could you two run over to the mine district for me? Oh, and be careful, I heard that even though the storm hasn't fully hit yet, the area around there has changed drastically." (Yes! Yes! I know! It's corny! If I rewrite this story, I'll come up with something better!)

I sighed, "Fine, let's go Aka- wait, why does Akari have to come with? She'll probably just hurt herself." I probably shouldn't have said that. Truthfully, if she was with me, then she wouldn't run into Calvin while I wasn't around. But at the same time, if there's a storm going on…

I turned to see Akari glaring at me, then Colleen continued, "You won't be able to carry all the food on your own Chase, you'll need Akari's help."

Okay, at least she won't run into Calvin unprotected. "Where are we even supposed to buy food?" I asked, "If all the shops have been moved."

"Not all the stores have been relocated yet, if Souffle Farm is still there, then buy the food from them. If they've moved already, then the general store should be where they're shop was and you can just buy whatever you can from there," Colleen answered.

Akari walked over to the door, "Well, come on Chase, let's get going!"

I groaned and followed out. It was really pouring when we stepped outside. And the wind could have blown us away.

"I don't get paid enough for this," I muttered, squinting into the rain. "Who ever heard of a hurricane reshaping an island anyway?"

"The weather man," Akari answered as we attempted to walk against the wind.

We didn't talk much. I'm not sure I would've been able to hear her over the storm. As we walked up a mountain that didn't used to be here, stupid storm, some leaves started blowing in our faces. I got frustrated and wiped them away, only to see Akari walking towards the edge of a cliff.

"AKARI! STOP!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Please let her hear me!

Relief flooded through me when I saw her stop, but the panic returned as I felt the wind press harder against my back. I saw Akari's hair blow back towards the edge. She turned her head and looked down. As the wind blew harder, I saw her loose her balance. I heard her scream as she was pushed off the ground by the wind.

"AKARI!" My voice was lost in the wind. I raced to the cliff and skidded onto my chest, my arm extended over the edge. By some miracle, I managed to grab her wrist.

But it was hard to hold on, our hands were soaked from the rain, wet and slippery. Ran poured down on my face. I shut one of my eyes, trying to keep out the water. I looked down at Akari with the other.

"Chase!" she called.

"Hold… on…" I struggled to say. What could I do? I wasn't sure how much longer my grip would last. I didn't even really have a secure hold on the ground. Against my better judgment, I reached my other hand over the cliff to Akari's. When she grabbed it, my weight started to unbalance. _No, don't fall. Concentrate_…

I struggled to pull her up a little and eventually managed to set my weight back so I would fall backwards. When I did, Akari managed to crawl back onto the ground.

We were both panting. I could feel my pulse racing. I stared to the ledge, the waterfall behind it.

Just now…

I'd almost watched Akari die…

I glanced over to see her still breathing quickly, her hands holding her heart. I looked back at the cliff. What if my grip hadn't lasted? What if I hadn't gotten there in time? What if I'd lost my balance?

What if she _had_ fallen?

I felt a shiver run up my spine. My life seemed to be full of 'what if's right now… I glanced over to see Akari eyeing me with concern on her face.

"You okay?" I asked.

She nodded. I closed my eyes. _It was close, but she's okay_. I tried to calm myself, "How long has a waterfall been here!?"

She looked over the waterfall. "This is some storm. I don't think we can go any farther, not until someone builds a bridge around here."

"Yeah, let's go back to the inn," I got up and held my hand out to her. "Groceries aren't worth getting killed over." She grabbed my hand and I helped her up. "You sure you're okay?"

I saw her blush a little, "Yeah, why?"

"Well, with your luck, I thought you'd slam your ankle into the side of the cliff or something," I laughed.

She elbowed me in my side and stormed off. I really should think a little more before I say something to her.

The wind still made my vision blurry, but I was grateful we wouldn't be walking by anymore cliff for awhile… I think. I saw Akari sway a little in the wind.

"Don't fall off again," I laughed.

She turned around and glared at me. The sun had set while we were gone and the town was much darker. After awhile, Akari started running, so I ran after her. When I caught up to her, she slipped onto her butt. I laughed, at least this wasn't as life threatening as her last accident. She glared at me again and I reached for the door knob. I was surprised to see it turning before I'd reached it, and even more surprised to see Calvin standing in the open doorway.

"Oh Akari! What happened to you?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

I glowered at him. "What are you doing here?"

Calvin's eyes settled on me, "What did you do to Akari now?"

What did _I_ do to Akari!? "She fell, I didn't do anything."

"You're right, you didn't," Calvin said, reaching a hand out to her. I clenched my fists as she grabbed it and he pulled her up. "A gentleman would have caught her."

I felt like my face would boil over. "_What_ are _you_ doing here!?" I repeated.

"I'm here because everyone in town has gathered here to avoid the storm. Didn't you get the memo?" Calvin mocked.

I stomping off into the kitchen."Calvin, why were you so mean to Chase?"

I stopped and turned slightly back towards them.

Calvin chuckled, "He's just a bully Akari, don't mind him."

I saw Akari look past Calvin, meeting my gaze. She looked a little sad. And angry.

My shoulders slumped and I headed off to the kitchen. When I got there, I saw Maya sitting on the counter with Kathy standing next to her. Kathy had a rag in her hands and was dabbing it on Maya's forehead.

"It's okay, calm down," she said.

"But it _hurts!_" Maya complained.

I walked up to them, "What's wrong?"

Kathy turned to me, her hands on her hips, "Did ya put those flowers there?"

I glanced over at the sink to see a shattered vase of bright red tulips. Red Tulips…

*flashback*

"What's that?" I asked.

Calvin smiled and pulled his hand out from behind his back to reveal a bouquet of flowers, "Tulips."

*Back to Reality*

I felt my eyebrows knit together, "No. Why?" I glanced over at Maya to see a red sore on her forehead, "And what happened to you?"

Kathy was the one who answered because Maya was still crying, "There was a gassed bee in them."

"A gassed bee?" I asked. What was Kathy talking about?

"If a bee is gassed, it falls asleep. People who farm bees for honey will gas them before they try and take their honey, otherwise they'll get stung. I noticed a bee on one of the tulips last night, but I didn't look closely enough to see it was asleep. I thought it'd fly away if I left it alone. Anyway, Maya came into the kitchen and filled the glass with fresh water and woke up the bee. She got stung right in the center of her forehead," she turned back to Maya and started applying medicine to the sting.

"He put a BEE in them!?" I practically shouted.

Kathy turned back to me, "Who?"

"Calvin, I ran into him right before he gave them to Akari!" I told her.

"That creep! Where is he!?" Kathy threw the rag onto the floor.

I gritted my teeth, "He's talking to Akari…"

"He's What!? Ya left her alone with him!?" Kathy yelled.

"I didn't know that creep put a bee in her flowers," I protested and I sighed, "Beside, she likes him…"

"She wouldn't if she knew!" Kathy insisted. "Hey… sense when do ya care that Akari likes Calvin?"

I blinked and I felt my cheeks redden.

"Awe, Chase! You like Akari!" Maya giggled. She gets stung in the forehead and she can still laugh at me.

Kathy smiled too, "It's about time Chase."

I turned away from them. "I don't like her!" I looked up over the counter to see Calvin talking to Akari. My hands balled up into fists again.

Kathy folded her arms across her chest, "I'd say you do."

"I don't! I hate her!" I insisted.

"Yeah? Well _why _do ya hate her?" Kathy asked. "There's got to be a reason."

I turned to glare at her. I'd actually forgotten the original reason as to why I hated her. "She's clumsy! She's bad luck! She believes in…"

"…the Harvest Goddess?" Kathy finished and shook her head. "Chase, ya got to get over that. It's not helping anything, and ya know she's not-"

"That's not important right now!" I cut her off. "What are we gonna do about that!?" I pointed in Akari and Calvin's direction in the swarm of people. Honestly, who thought of shoving the whole town in the inn.

Kathy looked to where I was pointing, "I don't' see why he's acting this way. I mean, if he hates her, he hates her. But if he likes her, why doesn't he show it?"

"Are you talking about Chase or Calvin?" Maya asked, honestly confused.

I groaned and Kathy laughed. "Anyway, why act like a jerk to her behind her back? I mean Chase, the way you do it makes more sense, you like her, but you're trying to hide it. The way Calvin's acting, it's like he _hates_ her and he doesn't want her to know."

I felt myself blush a little. "I already told you, I don't like her!" I practically yelled.

"What are they talking about?" Maya asked.

"Let's see…" Kathy muttered as she squinted at them. "I think he just asked her to go with him to the Firefly Festival." I turned back and looked at them talking.

"What!?" I turned so quickly, I thought my neck would crack.

"How can you tell?" Maya asked. I wanted to know too, because she'd better be wrong.

"I'm good at reading lips," she replied.

"If you're so good at it, what did Akari say?" I tried my hardest to act like I couldn't care less. The Firefly Festival wasn't for another week or so, but who knows what a creep like Calvin could do to Akari if she accepted. And I was furious at Calvin for some reason I didn't understand. Sure, I had plenty of reasons to hate him right now, but I still didn't understand why I did.

"She… she didn't answer yet," Kathy said with relief. "She told him she'd think about it."

I exhaled gratefully. Maybe she wouldn't go with him…

"You totally like her Chase," Kathy smiled.

"I told you I don't!"

"She sighed, "If ya say so, but you've been different lately…"

"Different?" I really thought she'd continue teasing me. I was surprised she changed the topic.

Kathy folded her arms together, "Yeah, you're not as… sarcastic as ya used to be. I mean, you can still be a big jerk sometimes, but you're not a jerk as often as ya used to be."

I felt my eyebrows knit together as I glared at her.

"Yeah Chase," Maya agreed. "You don't even insult my cooking as much as you usually do before you taste it."

I gritted my teeth, "Shouldn't you still be crying over your bee sting?" I turned to Kathy, "So what are you getting at?"

She smiled warmly, "Well, I think hanging around Akari could be a good thing for ya Chase…"

I looked between Kathy and Maya, both of them were smiling strangely. "Jeez, what's with you too!?"

They laughed. "You even sound like her now Chase!" Kathy chuckled.

"What?"

Maya giggled some more, in spite of her sting, "Akari always says 'jeez'."

"Ugh! You guys are no help! I'm leaving!" I pushed against the door and slammed it behind me.

- - -

**Me: Chase is busy blushing and yelling at the rest fo the cast right now, so it's just me this time. Thanks for reading and please review! ^^ Also, please check out my poll!**


	18. Chapter 18: The Festival?

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Sorry this chapter is kinda short, I wasn't really sure what to write. Anyway, I hope you like it! ^^**

- - -

Chase glowered at him before stomping off into the kitchen. I turned to see Calvin smiling, "Calvin, why were you so mean to Chase?"

Calvin chuckled, "He's just a bully Akari, don't mind him."

I looked over Calvin's shoulder to see Chase looking back at us, his expression looked pained.

Chase was a jerk, a bully, a creep. He insults everyone, all the time. But still…

*flashback to the cliff*

"Chase!" I called.

"Hold… on…"

*Back to Reality*

He was the one who caught me.

...

I saw Chase's shoulders sag and I sighed, "He isn't just a bully. He can be really sweet sometimes."

Calvin looked frustrated, "Yeah? Like when?"

I glared at him, "Like when he brought me to the hospital when I broke my nose. Like when he visited me in the clinic."

Calvin glared over in Chase's general direction, even though he wasn't there anymore. "It was his fault you broke your nose. It was the least he could do."

I raised an eyebrow, "Calvin, you really hate Chase."

He just looked back at me, "Is that a question?"

I pouted, "Why?"

He shrugged, "Nothing you would understand."

I decided to drop the subject. I could have argued with him more, but he looked like he wanted to tell me something.

"Say, Akari?" he began.

"What?" I asked coldly.

"Have you ever heard of the Firefly Festival?" he asked.

I thought for a moment. "I don't think so. What is it?"

"Well, it's a holiday in the summer when people get together by the river and watch flower boats. I was wondering if you would like to come with me."

I looked at Calvin as I thought. He was pretty nice, even if he didn't like Chase for some reason. "But what if I have work that day?" If I had to work, I wouldn't be able to go. I kinda hoped I would, I didn't really want to go. I felt like it would be awkward to go with Calvin… always on edge…

He just shook his head, "Everyone closes for festivals."

"Well, it sounds like fun. Can I think about it a little first?" I would try my hardest to come up with a kind reason why I couldn't go.

"Sure, take all the time you need," he assured me and he disappeared into the crowd of people that were crammed into the inn. I sighed and looked around for Anissa. I figured she'd be here somewhere.

"Akari!"

I turned around to see Anissa waved to me over a crowd of people. I waved back and ran over to her. "Hi Anissa."

"Hi, it's been a while. How's your farm?" she asked.

"My what?" It really had been a while. The last time I'd talked to her, I'd been on my way to live in my new house, which wasn't even close to being built yet.

I sighed and explained the last couple of days to her. She looked just as annoyed as me.

"Well, that stinks," she folded her arms over her chest, "But what was that last part about Calvin?"

"Oh, he's been hanging around here every now and again. He wanted me to go to the Firefly Festival with him…" I sighed again. Calvin was really nice and I liked being with him, but I really didn't want to go with him. I knew I'd feel funny.

"What did you tell him?" she asked.

I rubbed my arm shyly, "I said I'd think about it. I don't really want to go."

Anissa looked off into the sea of people, "He's been acting strangely ever since we came back. He used to be different; he used to be more… sincere. He has a different aura about him… I can't quite place it, but it scares me a little. I think it might have something to do with Phoebe…" she trailed off.

"Phoebe?" I asked, confused.

She looked back at me, "Phoebe and Calvin were together for a while, but after we came back, she's been sick for a few days… and then they broke up."

I raised an eyebrow. None of this was making any sense to me, but I just shrugged it off. "Well, I think I'll be going to bed now, falling off cliffs really tires you out," I said, turning towards the stairs.

"What?" Anissa asked, I guess I forgot that part of the story.

I just smiled, "It's nothing. Good night!" I waved and headed up to my room.

- - -

**Me: Thanks for reading! And please review and vote about my next story! There's a poll for it on my lookup. Chase, anything to add?**

**Chase: Nope, I'm good.**

**Me: ... uh? But you always want to talk!**

**Chase: I'm saving it for the next chapter.**

**Me: Ugh, fine! Well, I guess you'll have to keep reading to see what Chase has to say, bye!**


	19. Chapter 19: Chase's Past

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Thanks for your reviews! ^^ And please look at the poll I have on my look up for the next story I'm going to write. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. It was hard to write but...**

- - -

I woke up in the middle of the night. I opened my eyes to see nothing but darkness and as my eyes adjusted, I was able to make out the furniture in my room. I tossed and turned until I reached to point where I knew I wouldn't be falling asleep again anytime soon. I sighed and got out of bed, got dressed and headed downstairs to get a drink of water.

As I reached the stairs, I noticed a light was still on from downstairs. I looked around when I reached the ground floor and saw Chase clearing some tables. He looked up as I walked towards him, his hands filled with dirty dishes.

"What are you doing up?" he asked as he walked towards the kitchen and set the dishes down in the sink.

"I couldn't sleep," I answered. "But why are you up? It's late."

He shrugged, "I had too much to think about to sleep."

I raised an eyebrow, "Too much to think about?"

He just turned to me and sighed, "Yeah…"

"…Like?" I urged.

He walked to the next table and started stacking dishes, "Why do you want to know?"

I walked over to him and placed a plate on top of the pile, "Well, since I'm not going back to bed anytime soon I might as well help you clean, and it wouldn't be any fun to do that in silence."

He smiled, but it faded quickly and he turned to look me straight in the eyes, "Akari, has Calvin said anything… strange to you? Anything you don't like?"

I folded my arms across my chest, "I thought we were going to talk about what was on your mind."

He looked at me sternly, "That _is_ what's on my mind."

"Me and Calvin?" I saw him blush, even in the dim light. The lights above the tables were off; the only light came form the kitchen. "Why?"

He turned away and shook his head, "It's nothing. So, is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

I thought for a moment and when I finally thought of a topic, I stopped myself from asking it. Chase noticed me open my mouth to speak and then shut it again.

His eyebrows knitted together, "What?"

I looked up at him, he looked curious and annoyed, "Well, I have two questions now."

"What was the one you were just about to ask me?" he asked.

I sighed, I wasn't sure how he'd react to this one. "Why do you hate the Harvest Goddess?"

He face changed. He showed no expression at all and returned to stacking dishes. "I don't hate her… I just don't believe in her anymore…"

"Anymore?" I pressed, grabbing a stack of plates and walking with him back to the kitchen.

He set them down and started back towards the table. I hurried after him, "Chase?"

"Why do you always want to know?" he asked, still walking towards the next table.

"Because I care about you," and as soon as I said it we were both quiet. He stopped and turned around to look at me.

I_ what!?_

I blushed as I thought carefully and realized what I said was right, "You're one of my best friends Chase…"

He just looked at me for a minute, then walked back towards he. He was about to pass me, heading towards the kitchen, when he turned and said, "Okay, I'll tell you if you want, but I'd rather not clean and talk at the same time."

He started walking again and I followed him to the bar counter. The light from the kitchen was brighter over there and we sat down on stools next to each other. He looked at me for a little still before speaking.

I was the one to break the silence, "Chase, are you alright?"

"Hm?" he asked.

I looked at him, a little confused, "Well, usually you're not so open towards me, or anyone for that matter. And usually you'd be making fun of me for something by now," I hoped asking this wouldn't make him mad.

He just shrugged, "I guess… I don't know. I've been feeling a little strange lately…"

"Are you sick?" I asked, worried.

He shook his head, "No… it's not that… I'm not really sure. Just different. Maybe I'm just tired from being up all night…"

"You haven't gotten any sleep?" I asked, I noticed now that his eyes weren't open fully and his shoulders sagged.

He shook his head, "I couldn't sleep. Like I said, I had too much to think about."

That reminded me of my previous question, "Chase, do you think I'm annoying?"

Chase raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"Do I annoy you?" I asked again.

He sighed, "When we first met you did. You don't anymore. Not really…" I saw his eyebrows knit together.

"Then why do you look so annoyed whenever we talk?" I asked.

He sighed, "It's… it's not you that I think is annoying," he sighed, "So, you wanted to know why I don't believe in the Harvest Goddess anymore?"

I nodded and he sighed.

"Alright, let's see… well, you already know I lived here with Maya since I was little. Her parents knew mine pretty well; back then my parents were the cooks here. I learned a little from them, not much though. I was very young back then…" he smiled warmly for a second before continuing.

"My parents used to tease me about seeing Harvest Sprites. I used to say I saw little fairies with colorful hats running around. That was back when I was really little, back when I was always happy... My parent didn't believe me, not really…"

"One day, my parents told me that we were going to move off the island. I was so upset, I cried for days. When the time finally came to move, I wouldn't go. I didn't want to leave Maya and the Harvest Sprites. When my parents finally gave up, they asked Maya parents to watch over me for a few days while they got situated in the city. I watched my parents leave on the boat and wave goodbye…" Chase sighed.

"A few days later, we received word that their boat never reached the city… It…" Chase looked away, "It sunk. My parents were never found. After a few weeks, some of their belongings washed up on the shore… After my parents died I lost faith in the Harvest Goddess… I didn't think she would have let my parents die if she existed."

Chase glared into open space, "It annoys me to see so many people believe in her. We're not alive because of the Harvest Goddess. She's not there to protect us," then he looked up at me. "The fact that you are alive is a miracle. After all the accidents you've been in, I don't understand how I can be talking to you right now."

I was speechless for a minute. I could see why Chase didn't believe anymore, and I could see why he was mean to a lot of the people on the island, but… "Chase?"

He looked up and me. "What happened to you're parents… that's no reason to stop believing in the Harvest Goddess. You know she's real. The Harvest Sprites you saw were real, weren't they? Why not her? You're right, it is a miracle I'm alive. It's a miracle everyone is, and it's all because of her. You know she's real Chase," he turned away. "I know you do."

He sighed and looked up at me with tears in his eyes, "Yeah… I do…"

He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked at me, "Akari… what do you think of Calvin?"

I sighed, "I thought you didn't want to talk about that."

"Well," his eyebrows knitted together. "It's something I need to know."

"Why?" I asked.

He smiled. "Because I care about you," he said, repeating what I had. "And you're one of my best friends too."

I blushed. I looked away and played with my fingers. Even if he was my best friend, I didn't really want to talk about _boys_ with a _boy_, "Well… I don't know… he… he asked me to the Firefly Festival before…"

"Don't go with him," Chase replied sternly.

I looked back up at him quickly, "Why not?"

"He's not good for you," stated calmly.

"What do you mean?" I hadn't really wanted to go with Calvin, but I was annoyed that Chase didn't want me to go with Calvin so badly.

"He's a horrible person," Chase answered.

"He's much nicer to me that you were when we first met," I protested.

"Akari, he's a jerk. He hurts all the people around him."

"That's not true! He's never hurt me before!" I was mad now. Chase had no right to say these things about Calvin.

"Huh?"

Chase and I both turned to the staircase to see Calvin walking downstairs. Chase glared at him fiercely while he rubbed his eyes.

"How long have you been here?" Chase accused.

I rose from my seat at the counter and walked over to Calvin, "Calvin, I'll go."

"What?" Calvin asked sleepily.

"WHAT!?" Chase yelled, his face red.

I turned around and glared back at Chase. Calvin was right, Chase was jerk. "I'll go with you to the Firefly Festival Calvin," and I walked back upstairs. All this stress made me tired.

- - -

**Chase: CALVIN!!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!**

**Calvin: All I did was walk downstairs!**

**Me: You two! Save it for another chapter! Thanks for reading! And please review! **


	20. Chapter 20: The Nightmare

**~ Helllo Readers!**

**Thanks again for your reviews! Let me know what you think fo this chapter. Hope you like it! ^^**

- - -

The next morning I figured I'd help Maya do the cooking. With so many people staying at the inn for the next few days, they could probably use the help. Especially sense Maya probably shouldn't be cooking at all.

I got up, got dressed, and headed downstairs.

I searched for Maya around the kitchen. Eventually, I found her, no Chase around though. She was standing on a chair, reaching into a cabinet of pots and pans above the stove. I sighed, I was glad Chase wasn't down yet. I was still and at him. How could he say those things about Calvin?

"Maya? What are you doing?" I asked.

"Getting a pot out," she answered. She looked like she'd fall at any moment.

"Why?"

"To make fondue," she answered as she reached.

I sighed, "Should I get you anything?"

"Well, you can get the ingredients out of the pantry. We'll start once I get this pot out," she replied. She still couldn't quite reach it.

"Okay," I said, turning to the cabinet. I'd never heard of making fondue for breakfast, but okay. I grabbed the bread and cheese and set them down on the counter. I looked back up to see Maya still struggling to get the pot.

"Would you like me to help?" I offered. I heard a door opening.

"No… I…" she began, reaching as far as she could, "Got it!"

She grabbed the pot and as she pulled it out the other pots and pans in the cupboard began to fall. Each one hit the floor with a loud "CLANK!" My head spun back and forth as I turned to each noise. Then suddenly, my head hurt and I felt dizzy for a split second and I fell to the floor.

. . .

When my feeling began to return, by head was pounding and I felt dizzy. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. _Great, this again._ I sighed internally. I could hear people talking and I struggled to focus on what they were saying.

"So Jin, what'dya think?" it sounded like Kathy.

I heard a sigh, "Well, seeing as how this is Akari we're talking about, I'm not really sure. The last time she got a concussion she was only out for a day, but these things usually hit much harder consecutively, so I would guess she would be unconscious much longer that she was the first time. And how did this happen exactly?"

"Um… I accidentally made a frying pan fall and hit her in the head," Maya muttered. I hope she didn't feel too bad about it.

"Maya, she's already clumsy enough without your help!" Chase scolded. Shut up Chase…

"So is there anything we can do?" Anissa was there too.

Jin sighed again, "I don't think so… we'll just have to wait."

"Ya know, some people think that when a person is knocked out, they can still here you," Luke said. I hadn't talked to him in a while. He must be busy with all the reconstruction.

Chase groaned, "That's just stupid Luke!" I laughed to myself. I'd make sure to tell him about this later.

I heard some foot steps and a door close and the room was silent. I guess everyone left. I couldn't hear any voices anymore, and after a while I fell asleep.

_I had a strange dream. I was sitting on stool by the bar counter, talking to Maya, when I heard the door open behind us. _

_We turned to see a dark figure walk in. His entire body was black, so I couldn't tell who it was. He walked towards us, and paused at a table and placed his hand on the back of a chair. When he did, it collapsed. Then he went to the next table and tapped the table cloth, which burst into flames and was extinguished as soon as the entire cloth has burned to ash. Everything he touched broke. He touched a vase; shattered. He touched the railing; snapped. The window cracked. The sink faucet burst. _

_Then he turned to me and Maya with a smirk on his face._

_I felt myself shiver and I heard the door open again behind me and I turned to see Chase walk in. When he saw the man standing in front of Maya, he ran over to us but before he could get there, the shadow tapped Maya's forehead and I watched in horror as her forehead swelled. Her hands shot up to a red bump. She cried out in pain and tears flew down from her cheeks. _

_Then he turned back to me._

_Chase reached me first and stood in front of me, shielding me from the dark man. I peaked over his shoulder to see the shadow smirk and tap Chase's stomach. I heard Chase groan. His legs gave way and he collapsed to his knees, holding his stomach and moaning. He knelt in front of the shadow, sweat dripping from his face. I looked away for an instance to see the shadow grinning evilly and Maya weeping behind him. Then I turned back to Chase to see him lying on his side, both arms rapped around his torso._

_Then the shadow reached for me._

_I shut my eyes, bracing myself. He tapped my nose, and blood rushed out. It hurt like I'd just broken it again. He tapped my head, and I felt the bang from hitting the floor when I'd tripped on my shoelace. He tapped my leg, and the floor below me vanished. I felt myself falling. I heard water rushing below me and I looked up to see Chase looking in agony over a cliff and the black aura smiled. I reached out to Chase, and despite the obvious pain on his face, he reached out to me too, even though we both knew I was too far away. I continued to fall farther away, and just as I was about to reach the freezing water below me…_

"…Akari…"

…_I heard my name._

I woke from my dream, but I still couldn't open my eyes. I was the strangest feeling even to wake up from a nightmare and not be able to open you eyes immediately to see it was all a dream.

I heard a sigh, "…she's okay…"

Chase?

"…Akari… please, change your mind…"

Hm?

"…Don't go with Calvin…"

If I was able to open my eyes, I would have glared at him. Why didn't he want me to go with Calvin so bad? He was so nice to me, why wouldn't I go with Calvin? Was… was he jealous?

"Hello Chase."

Calvin?

I heard Chase groan, "Why are you here?"

"To see Akari of course,"

I heard footsteps approach me and I felt a hand on my arm.

"Don't. Touch. Her." Chase warned, exaggerating each word, but Calvin's hand didn't move. He wasn't warm like Chase; his hand was cold and hard.

I heard Calvin laugh quietly, "So, what do you think Chase?"

"About what?" he asked accusingly.

I felt Calvin remove his hand, "Why about Akari of course."

"I think you're responsible for this in some way," he answered coldly.

"Of course _you_ would think that," he placed his hand back on my arm, "but I bet Akari doesn't…"

I heard a smacking sound and Calvin's hand was no longer on my arm, "I told you not to touch her."

"Well…" I heard footsteps against the wood flooring, "I guess I'll be leaving," and a door closed.

I felt Chase's fingers brush against my face, moving a strand of hair away from my eyes. Why had he been so mean to Calvin just then? It seemed like they'd been hinting at something. Something I didn't know about. I felt completely lost.

"… Akari, why can't you see?" I heard Chase mumble to himself, and I drifted back off to sleep.

_I had another dream. Well, no. Not really. I had the same dream, but with a few changes. Me and Maya were still sitting at the bar counter, talking, but I felt tease as I remembered the situation. I felt my heart stop and I heard the door know turn and Maya looked to the door. I didn't want to look. I knew what I'd see. However, unlike my first dream, Maya actually spoke._

"_Hi Calvin, what are you doing here?"_

_Calvin!?_

_I turned to see Calvin smiling in the doorway. Had I been wrong? Was I having a different dream?_

_Then Calvin walked over to the chair the shadow had touched and I watched it crumble to the floor._

_Calvin was the shadow man._

_He smiled evilly at us. He continued around the inn, breaking glasses, burning curtains, shattering windows, crushing tables, until he turned and eyed us with a peculiar interest, "That's right Akari."_

_I was so afraid, I couldn't move. I was in complete shock. Calvin…_

_Then Chase walked in, "Akari, I-"he stopped when he saw Calvin._

"_Chase! Run away!" I cried, but he didn't listen._

"_Don't touch them!" he yelled at Calvin as he raced over to us._

_Just as he had before, Calvin walked over and brushed his figure over Maya's forehead. She screamed in pain and covered the spot Calvin had touched with both her hands. Tears rolled down her cheeks._

_Then Calvin turned to me back to me._

_Chase reached me first and stood in front of me, shielding me from Calvin. "Chase."_

_He just glared at Calvin, "I told you not to touch them!" he arms spread out in front of me._

_Calvin just smiled and reached out. He touched Chase's stomach and Chase shut his eyes tightly and he moaned in pain._

"_Chase!"_

_Sweat started to drip from his face as he tried to hold his ground between me and Calvin. He staggered forward, barely about to stand, clutching his stomach, "Akari… run away…" and pleaded and he fell to the floor. I stared in horror at Calvin. As Chase writhed in pain of the floor, I remembered something he'd told me when I was awake._

'_Akari, he's a jerk. He hurts all the people around him'_

_Then Calvin reached for me._

_I took a step back and I heard Chase's word from last night echo in my head._

'_He's not good for you'_

_Calvin took a step closer, "Come with me to the Firefly Festival."_

'_He's a horrible person'_

_I shook my head, "No… I won't."_

_Calvin grimaced, "That's your choice then," and he grabbed my arm. It throbbed in pain. I screamed, but he wouldn't let go. Then Calvin tripped and fell to the floor. I looked down to see Chase grabbing Calvin's ankle._

"_Never… hurt…"_

"Akari!"

Huh?

"Akari! Wake up! Please!" Chase shouted.

My eyes fluttered open to see Chase's face about a foot from mine, his hands on my shoulders, arms shaking. He looked frightened.

"Chase…"

He immediately let go of my shoulders, "Are you okay?" He looked away. "You were twitching in your sleep, so I figured you were out of your comma. Then you screamed and…" he looked back at me, "So, you okay?"

I felt sweat dripping down my face. I just looked at him for a moment;_ he_ was okay. He looked concerned, but the pain I'd seen on his face in my last two dreams was nowhere to be seen. His violet eyes still stared at me in honest worry. Worry for me.

"Chase," I reached out and hugged him. I felt tears swell in my eyes. He seemed startled at first, probably confused, but then he held me gently and stroked my hair. "It's okay…"

- - -

**Chase: *blushing* Um...**

**Me: Thanks for reading! Please review and look and my poll! More chapters coming soon! Hopefully... maybe... possibly..... BYE!**


	21. Chapter 21: Food Poisoning

**~ Hello Readers!**

**Thanks for so many wondergul reviews! ^^ And thank you QueenoftheCatz, for being my 1st and 50th reviewer! Yay 50 reviews! Anyway, hope you like this chapter!**

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"It's alright," he muttered, still hugging me. I took a deep breath and pulled back to look at him.

"Why were you so upset?" he asked, his head tilted slightly.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Maya and Kathy came bursting through the door, "Chase, what-" Kathy began.

Maya interrupted her, "Akari!" she ran over and hugged me. "I'm so sorry! It was an accident!"

I patted her back. "It's fine Maya. It wasn't your fault." I reassured her.

Kathy came and sat next to me on the bed, "So what was the screaming about?"

I froze for a second, "Maya?"

She stopped hugging me and looked me in the face, "Yeah?"

I felt my heart stop when I saw a red bump on her forehead.

"M-Maya… how did you get that red bump on your forehead?" I asked.

She reached to her forehead and felt the blemish. I noticed Chase tense a little. "I got stung by a bee," she answered.

I glanced over to see Kathy eyeing Chase strangely. I turned to see Chase doing the same to her. They looked a little frustrated.

"Uh… guys?" They both stopped to look at me, "What's wrong?"

"Um… You're probably not gonna believe us, but…" Kathy mumbled, searching for the right words.

Chase looked like he was about to answer my question, but Yolanda called from downstairs, "Maya! Would you come back down! I need your help with something!"

"Coming!" she called as she went towards the door. Kathy followed her out.

I turned back to Chase, "Are you okay?"

His eyebrows knitted together and he looked at me with a confused expression, "Huh?"

"Are you okay?" I asked again.

He raised one eyebrow. "…yeah. Why?"

I sighed, "You… you were gonna tell me Calvin had something to do with Maya's bee sting?"

His eyes widened and he looked worried, "How did you know that? And I thought you liked Calvin?"

Then I thought of something; my dream had nothing to do with the real Calvin. So I had a nightmare, big deal. That's not Calvin's fault. I shouldn't have let a dream get to me like that. But it was strange though that Chase had just agreed with my dream...

"It's nothing," I said shaking my head. "So how long was I out for anyway?"

"Two days…" Chase answered and he looked away.

That long?

I rose from the bed and swayed a little.

Chase reached for me, "Don't you think you should rest a little longer?"

I shook my head and smiled. "Nope! I have work to do," I said cheerfully as I walked out the door. Nothing like getting a good two-day sleep to make you feel active. Chase followed me, and then I remembered something. I spun around and caught Chase by surprise.

"Oh, and just so you know, it's true what they say, about people still being able to hear you when they're knocked out."

Chase looked confused for a split second, then his eyes widened and he blushed. "A-all the time?" he asked.

"Well, most of the time," I smiled and he blushed harder.

"Well, let's go downstairs!" I said optimistically. I grabbed his hand and dragged him behind me. I felt much better now that I was awake.

When we got downstairs, Maya and Yolanda were working in the kitchen.

"Akari?" Yolanda called. "Could you run some errands for me?"

"Sure," I answered. It would be nice to get some fresh air. "What do you need?"

I walked over to the counter and she handed me a list of groceries, "Could you pick these up for me? The storm has calmed down since your accident and most of the villagers have left already, so I don't think you should run into any problems."

"Alright!" I grabbed the list and headed towards the door.

"Maybe I should go too…" Chase started to say.

"No Chase," Yolanda replied. "We need you here. You haven't done much cooking in the last couple of days."

I heard him sigh as he walked into the kitchen.

When I stepped outside, I was shocked to see that the town looked completely different. At first I was worried I wouldn't be able to find what I needed. I went to the mine district and picked up some supplies from the general store, then over to Anissa's farm for some vegetables. I got to talk to her a little before heading back to Harmonica town (the new name) I liked it much better than the old one. I even noticed that a wizard had moved in at the upper part of town. I'd have to stop by sometime and say hi.

I looked at my watch and started heading back to the inn. I could see the inn from where I was and I saw Maya burst out and look around frantically. When she saw me, she rushed over, she had tears in her eyes, "Akari! Quick, I need your help! Something's wrong with Chase!"

I thought I was going to drop the bag I was carrying, "Chase!? What's wrong?"

I don't know, come on!" She ran back towards the inn and I followed her as fast as I could. We practically knocked the door off its hinges as I ran after Maya into the kitchen. I almost ran into her when she stopped. Then I looked over her shoulder to see Chase slumped against the cabinet, unconscious, on the floor.

I went over and sat down next to him, "What happened?"

"I don't know?" Maya almost yelled in hysterics. "I'd just gotten him to try some soup I made, and he just sorta passed out!"

Chase ate Maya's cooking!?

"Go run over to Jin's and tell Irene to come over! Tell her what happened!" I yelled, Maya already halfway out the door. Irene knew about Chase's condition so she might know what to do.

When she was gone, I looked back at Chase. His face was pale and he was dripping in sweet. I placed my hand under his chin and turned his face from side to side. He felt too warm, and sticky from the sweat. I wasn't really sure what I was checking for, but I'd seen people do it on TV a lot. Then I blushed and let go when it suddenly clicked that I was touching Chase's face. When I let go, I noticed his eyebrows knit together like they always did when he was angry.

"Chase?" I asked.

"…A… Akari?" he breathed. He was shacking and his eyes were shut tightly. It looked like he was straining to move. He was gritting his teeth and he was breathing quickly. His voice sounded pained and when he opened his eyes, they were glazed over with an aching hurt. He only opened them for a moment, then shut them tightly again.

"Just rest a minute Chase," I insisted, but he didn't listen. It was hard to tell, but it looked like he was trying to stand. His face was red and his sweat dripped down onto the floor, "I'm f-fine."

"No you're not!" I yelled and he felt back to the floor. It wasn't a long fall; he'd barely managed to raise himself 5 inches off the ground.

He shook on the floor next to me, I reached up to feel his forehead, brushing some of his hair away. He opened his eyes slightly and looked up at me through his bangs with his bright violet eyes. "Chase, you're burning up," I told him.

"R-really?" he asked, closing his eyes again and shivering. "…E-everything feels so cold…"

"What happened?" I asked.

He tried to look up at me, "I… I wasn't paying attention and… Maya got me to taste some of her soup..."

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you couldn't eat her food," I muttered.

He smirked, but his face was still red and his clothes were drenched in sweat by now. He was still shivering and he held his arms around his torso.

I reached out to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, his eyes filled with pain and suffering.

"What can I do?" I pleaded. There had to be something.

"You… you said I felt hot?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"…T-Then could you get me…. some ice? I-I-I feel really cold… but it's probably more important to try… and get my fever down," he somehow managed to say. He was breathing heavily as he said this, still shivering.

"Okay!" I raced over to the fridge and grabbed some ice. I looked around frantically for a bag to put them in. Once I'd found on, I sat down in front of him again and placed it on his forehead. At first he flinched away from the cold, but then he let me rest in on his head. He looked up at me.

"…Thanks…"

"Does that feel any better?" I asked at I held the bag.

"A little… I think," he was shivering more now, but his breathing had slowed a little. Then his eyes started to close and his shivering started to slow too.

"Chase?" His eyes closed completely and he slumped against the cabinet again. I watched his chest rise and fall more slowly and his face wasn't quite so red. The pain must have made him pass out again.

I continued to hold the bag to his forehead. Seeing him like this brought back bad memories of my dream…

_Chase reached me first and stood in front of me, shielding me from the dark man. I peaked over his shoulder to see the shadow smirk and tap Chase's stomach. I heard Chase groan. His legs gave way and he collapsed to his knees, holding his stomach and moaning. He knelt in front of the shadow, sweat dripping from his face. I looked away for an instance to see the shadow grinning evilly and Maya weeping behind him. Then I turned back to Chase to see him lying on his side, both arms rapped around his torso._

I shivered and I felt my heart stop. Was Calvin involved in this in some way?

I turned to the sound of the kitchen door opening behind me, and Irene walked in with Maya behind her. She knelt down in front of me and Chase, turning his head from side to side like I had. What was the point of that anyway?

She turned to Maya, "What did he eat exactly?"

"Some mushroom soup I made," she said, pointing at the bowl on the counter. "Kathy helped me pick some yesterday."

Irene sighed to herself, "Soup is harder to work with…" Then she turned back to Maya, "Do you have any of those mushroom left?"

"Yeah," Maya opened a cupboard, pulled out a sack, and handed it to Irene. She looked in the bag and pulled out a mushroom and turned it in her hands for a moment.

"This isn't a mushroom," she sighed. "It's a toadstool."

The entire room when silent for a moment and I stopped breathing. I just stared at the item Irene was holding.

"B-b-but," Maya stuttered.

"Toadstools are…" I couldn't finish either.

"Poisonous," Irene finished and we all turned to Chase, passed out on the floor.

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**Me: Poor Chase is having some medical difficulties right now, so it's just me today. Thanks for reading! Please review and vote for my poll!**


	22. Chapter 22: Food Poisoning 2

**~ Hello Readers!**

**THanks for all your reviews! ^^ And I'm sorry, I know this gets repetitive, but this is Chase's chapter again. I needed to go back and switch ot his point of view because I think I'm going to go ahead with his point of view for a while before switching back to Akari's. And also, we still don't really know how Chase is doing yet, sorry. I'm going to need soem more time to write that part. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!**

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Yolanda had me cleaning up after all our guests that night, and I was dead tired. It's probably why I answered so many of Akari's questions. I could barely keep my eyes open and it felt like my brain was numb, but talking to her helped keep me awake. I suppose I'd said some things to anger her while I was out of it and because of that, she accepted Calvin's offer to the Firefly Festival.

I thought I was gonna through Calvin out in the storm right then, and I probably would have if I wasn't so dang tired. I yelled at him a little and he pretended to be confused, but after a while I just went to bed. Ugh, so much drama in the middle of the night…

When I came down the next morning Akari was laying on the floor with Maya sitting next to her. I rushed over to see what happened and Maya told me a pan had fallen and knocked her out. I still felt strange… empty. It was the same feeling I had had last night. Depressed maybe? Anyway, I was still out of it, so I wasn't as worried as I usually was. Honestly, it's not like Akari got through the day without some kind of accident.

Once Maya stopped babbling, I just picked Akari up and carried her upstairs. I felt my heart race as I carried her; it had been a while sense I'd needed to take her to the clinic. I smiled and her head slumped against my shoulder. I told Maya to go find Kathy. She would probably be able to help, or at the very least, she knew what room Jin was staying in.

I dropped her off in her room and searched for Jin since Maya hadn't found Kathy yet. On the way I ran into Anissa and Luke. They were curious as to what I was doing, so I told them about Akari's latest incident and they followed me eagerly in search of Jin. We finally found him talking to Maya and Kathy in the kitchen. I guess Maya had managed to find her after all.

We all headed up to Akari's room and waited while Jin gave her an inspection.

"So Jin, what'dya think?" Kathy asked, her arms folded together.

He sighed, "Well, seeing as how this is Akari we're talking about, I'm not really sure. The last time she got a concussion she was only out for a day, but these things usually hit much harder consecutively, so I would guess she would be unconscious much longer that she was the first time. And how did this happen exactly?" He removed his glasses and looked at me and Maya.

"Um… I accidentally made a frying pan fall and hit her in the head," she muttered.

I groaned, "Maya, she's already clumsy enough without your help!"

"So is there anything we can do?" Anissa asked. At least Akari had _one_ good friend.

Jin sighed again, "I don't think so… we'll just have to wait."

"Ya know, some people think that when a person is knocked out, they can still here you," Luke said.

I groaned again, "That's just stupid Luke!" What kinda idiot would believe something like that?

The others left the room, but I stayed behind.

"Chase?" Kathy turned back before leaving, "Aren't you coming?"

I shook my head, "I'm gonna wait here a bit."

"Kay," and she shut the door behind her.

I sat in one of the chairs next to Akari's bed and for a while I just looked her over, wondering why it was that she had to hurt herself, at least once a day, everyday. I guess I fell asleep after while. My dream was… different. I dreamt of one of the worst things I could have dreamt about. My dream was of the time when Akari had fallen off the cliff, accept this time, I couldn't save her. I got to the cliff and watched her fall, reaching out despite the distance. Then the water below engulfed her and I cried out her name.

I awoke from my dream, startled and confused. Sweat dripped down from my forehead and I looked around to see that it was dark out and the windows had been closed. I could here the storm raging outside, the wind holing, the rain beating against the house. I turned to Akari's bed and was relieved to see her still asleep, safe…

"…Akari…" I sighed, "…she's okay…"

And I felt my eyebrows knit together. Once this storm cleared, she would be going with Calvin to the festival. I tried not to think of what he might do to her if she went with him.

"…Akari… please, change your mind… …Don't go with Calvin…"

Great, now I'm talking to myself again.

"Hello Chase."

I caught my breath and turned slowly towards the doorway to see Calvin standing in it.

I groaned, "Why are you here?"

"To see Akari of course." Of course, what other reason would he have to come? He stepped around me and set a hand on Akari's arm.

"Don't. Touch. Her." I practically growled the words.

He just laughed, "So, what do you think Chase?"

"About what?" I asked, disgusted.

"Why, about Akari of course." He removed his hand from her arm.

I glared at him, "I think you're responsible for this in some way."

He sighed. "Of course _you_ would think that," he put his hand on her arm again, "but I bet Akari doesn't…"

I walked over and stood in front of him. I smacked his arm as hard as I could, "I told you not to touch her." He took a step back and held his arm tenderly. He looked surprised.

"Well… I guess I'll be leaving," and he walked out, closing the door behind him.

I looked back at Akari. She was so innocent, she had no idea what Calvin was like. She had some stray hairs on her forehead and I brushed them away lightly. She saw so much, she saw right through _me,_ why not Calvin?

"… Akari, why can't you see?" I mumbled to myself. Great, why did I talk so much when there was no one to talk to?

I sat down in the chair next to her bed and I guess I must've fallen asleep again, but it was hard to tell. I only remember being startled when I heard Akari scream. I must've woken up, since it was now bright and sunny in the room, and I turned to see her turning in her sleep restlessly.

I quickly got up and sat on the bed next to her.

"Akari!" I yelled.

But she didn't hear me.

I put my hands on her shoulders and shook her a little. She was shivering and she looked like she might scream again.

"Akari! Wake up! Please!" Come on, wake up!

Her eyes flashed open. She looked surprised and scared. What could she possibly have been dreaming about to make her this scared? I could feel her shaking next to me on the bed.

"Chase…"

I just looked at her a moment and realized I was still holding her shoulders. I let go quickly and looked away, "Are you okay? You were twitching in your sleep, so I figured you were out of your comma. Then you screamed and…" I made myself look at her then, "So, you okay?"

She just stared at me blankly for a little while. She looked like she was in shock. She looked much better than she had though, not nearly as scared. Then out of nowhere, she hugged me. She sighed my name and I heard her cry a little.

I was very confused for a minute, but I hugged her back. I stroked her hair lightly as I held her.

"It's okay…" I whispered. I had no idea what could've gotten her so worked up. "It's alright." Then after a few more moments she pulled back to look at me. She still looked sad.

I wanted to know why she was upset, but I never got the chance to find out. Kathy and Maya came in before Akari could answer. They were both relieved to see she was awake. She seemed… different. She was acting strangely and she wasn't mad when I'd told her Calvin was responsible for Maya's bee sting. Actually, she guessed it before I told her. Then she tried to go downstairs and she wobbled when she got up. I tried to get her to rest more, but she refused and I knew it was pointless to keep trying after than. Normally I would've kept arguing, but… I don't know. I just haven't felt like myself lately…

Then Akari told me something. I was so out of it, I almost ran into her when she turned back around to face me. "Oh, and just so you know, it's true what they say, about people still being able to hear you when they're knocked out."

_What? …_

It took me a moment, but then I realized she was correcting what I'd said to Luke the other day. While she was still knock out… which meant she had heard me. I could feel a blush cover my face. When she was knock out, she could still hear me!? I thought back to all the times I'd felt like an idiot, talking to myself whenever she was in a concussion.

"A-all the time?" I asked.

"Well, most of the time," she smiled cheerfully and my face reddened even more.

She heard everything.

"Well, let's go downstairs!" she grabbed my hand and pulled me downstairs behind her. I guess it wasn't something we needed to talk about now, but I would make sure to ask her exactly what she'd heard later.

When we got downstairs, Yolanda asked Akari to run some errands for her. I wanted to go with, but she wanted me to work instead. I'd spent most of my time waiting for Akari to wake up, so I hadn't been cooking at all the last day or so.

While I was working, Maya came over with two bowls of soup. She told me Yolanda made lunch for us. At first I was a little confused, Yolanda didn't usually make lunch, let alone soup, but I was too tired to care. I wondered when it was that I started acting this way… I think it was the night Akari accepted Calvin's invitation.

I sighed and went over to sit with Maya. She didn't eat at first, but waited for me to start. I took a spoonful, and as soon as I tasted it, I wanted to spit it out. It was awful! Incredibly awful!!! But I couldn't spit all of it out and I felt the liquid trickle down my throat.

"Yay!" Maya cheered, "You ate my cooking!"

_Maya's_ cooking!? …well, that explained a lot at least.

Immediately, I felt a sharp stab in my stomach and I groaned from the pain.

"Chase? Are you okay?" Maya asked. She looked very confused.

_No, of course I'm not okay!_ I would've yelled at her, but I felt like I couldn't talk. I just shook my head and tried to walk back to the kitchen. I must've looked pathetic.

Maya followed behind me, "Chase?"

Suddenly, I felt warm. Too warm. It was like I'd walked into the over instead of the kitchen. I lost the strength in my legs and fell to the floor. I rapped my arms around me, my stomach throbbing in pain.

"Chase!? What's wrong?" Maya shrieked. The high pinched sound hurt my ears.

I couldn't answer her. I tried, but my throat was scratchy and dry. My head ached and sweet dripped down from my hair. Then, the pain started to fade. It slowly left, and I thought it would pass all together, but that was just wishful thinking. I struggled to keep my eyelids open as I felt my conscience fading away. I heard the noise of my head hitting the cabinet and I slumped against the wall, but I didn't feel the impact at all. The pain continued to fade until I'd passed out.

A few moments later, I felt something cold touch my chin. It was very subtle at first, but as I started to wake up, the feeling became stronger.

"Chase?"

I forced myself to wake up when I heard her voice. The pain returned, but I didn't want to pass out again, not now that I was already half awake.

"…A… Akari?" I tried to speak, but it came out in more of a whisper. It was different this time, different from the last time I had been awake. Instead of feeling too warm, everything was freezing. I was so cold. I felt myself shiver, and I gritted my teeth. I wanted to stand, but it was so had to move. I felt like my energy had been drained away. I tried to open my eyes, but the rush of colors made my head hurt more, and I shut them tightly afterwards.

"Just rest a minute Chase," Akari told me, but I wouldn't. I didn't want to rest, if I could only get up, maybe the pain would fade on it's own after some time. More wishful thinking…

"I'm f-fine," I told her as I attempted to stand.

"No you're not!" she exclaimed. I fell back to my spot against the cabinet. Everything hurt, even breathing. I shrived and held myself again, trying to warm myself from the cold. I felt Akari place her hand on my forehead, checking my temperature. I looked up at her from under her hand, she felt so cold.

"Chase, you're burning up," she told me. I had a fever?

"R-really?" I asked. I closed my eyes again, the lights were too bright. "…E-everything feels so cold…" I shivered again.

"What happened?" she asked.

I tried to look at her, "I… I wasn't paying attention and… Maya got me to taste some of her soup..." How could I have been so stupid?

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you couldn't eat her food."

I smiled despite the pain. I felt sweat continue to drip down my face. I guess I did have a fever, even if everything felt frozen. I felt Akari place her hand on my shoulder. Even through my clothes she felt cold. I looked up at her.

"What can I do?" she asked. She looked sad.

"You… you said I felt hot?" I asked.

"Yeah?" she nodded.

"…T-Then could you get me…. some ice? I-I-I feel really cold… but it's probably more important to try… and get my fever down," I was breathing more quickly now even though the pain made it harder.

"Okay!" She got up and got me a bag of ice. She tried to place it on my forehead, but it felt more like _dry_ ice than regular ice. I thought my forehead would get frost bite. I tried to stay still so she could place it on my head.

"…Thanks…" I said.

"Does that feel any better?" she still held the bag to my head.

"A little… I think," I didn't really feel better, I was even colder now, but the ice should help the conditions fade a little. I found that I could breath more normally now without the pain, and I stopped shivering so much. Then my eyelids started to droop and I realized it wasn't because of the ice that I felt better, but because I was about to pass out again.

"Chase?" Akari's voice felt so distant now, but I couldn't stop myself from fading back into unconsciousness.

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**Chase: *shaking* You... *points at me* you are... an e-evil... author!**

**Me: *shrugs* Sorry Chase, you'll get better soon... maybe...**

**Chase: WHAT!?**

**Me: *giggles* Thanks for reading! Please review and check out my poll!**


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